The Spectacular Spider-Deku
by Emotwo
Summary: A MHA-AU and Marvel pseudo-crossover. After being bitten by a, quote-unquote, "radioactive spider" (which happened to be the size of a car, thank you for asking), the Quirkless Midoriya Izuku awakens to find himself with powers he could previously only have dreamed of. However, what's that old saying again about "With Great Power..."?
1. Awakening, in the literal sense

**MY HERO ACADEMIA AU - The Spectacular Spider-Deku**

Chapter 1: Awakening, in the literal sense of the word.

* * *

As he started to regain consciousness, the young boy didn't know where he was, but it certainly wasn't in his bed at home.

In fact, he was pretty certain he wasn't laying in any sort of bed at all. Finding himself tucked tight in a fetal position, he gingerly attempted to push out against the tough, yet flexible, slimy fabric that he felt was enveloping him while his sleep-addled brain wondered if he'd been tucked inside a large dirty sack of some sort — and in that case, for what? And by whom?

He was dimly aware of the fact that had he been more awake, he probably would've completely panicked at his situation — but as it stood, all he could think about at the moment was that he wanted to get out of this thing.

After taking a moment to ascertain his sense of gravity in order to find out which way was actually up or down, the boy started to scratch and claw into the tough fabric enveloping him — _which kind of felt like some sort of flexible shell or membrane the more he thought about it_ — and eventually managed to pierce his fingers all the way through to the other side, providing him a handhold as he proceeded to stretch his arms apart and slowly tear open a large rift in front of himself.

Reaching out through the opening however, he came to realize that he'd been wrapped in not just one, but _several_ thick layers — but fortuitously they were much more softer and pliable than the first set had been, and thus far more easier to tear upon or simply brush aside as he slowly tunneled his way out of the multiple bags(?) and to freedom.

As he finally pierced through the last layer, the sudden light assaulting his eyes caused him to instinctively bring back his arms to shield his face. But as this meant he was no longer bracing himself against the surrounding fabrics, gravity helped him take the final step from inside to outside as he slipped through the opening and fell three or so feet before landing unceremoniously on the floor face-first with a bang.

After a few long seconds, the boy went from balancing upside-down on his face to finally tip over and fall flat on his back, causing him to cough and groan from both impacts as he lay writhing on the floor. Deciding that his face was what hurt the most, he carefully nursed his nose with one hand while the other shielded his eyes as he tried to get used to the bright, clinical lighting shining down upon him from the tall ceiling.

As his eyes started to adjust, the first thing he noticed was that his scope of vision seemed a bit different than what he was used to, as if he could perceive a larger image of his surroundings than what should strictly be natural.

The second was that the sack he'd pried his way out of wasn't really a sack at all. It was hard to tell from his position underneath it on the floor, but the thing looked more like some sort of white cocoon — suspended some ways in the air by a plethora of thick and gooey-looking strings stretching and crisscrossing everywhere like some great, giant-sized spider-web.

 _Spider._

That word alone caused his daze and confusion to be quickly be brushed aside in favor for alarm, and he immediately jerked upright into a sitting position with wide, bloodshot eyes — only to freeze as he saw there was a row of figures currently standing a short distance away from him, surrounding the boy in a loose half-circle.

The people all wore armored gear and helmets donned over a nearly military-looking uniform, and they were all watching him closely as if waiting for him to make any sort of move. And though they weren't armed in the general sense, they were all displaying signs of possessing individual Quirks and gave the impression that they were ready to use them at a moment's notice, should they so chose to.

" _Uwa_ -Wha-?! Whad's... going on?" the boy reacted nervously from the floor as he inched back against the wall of webbing behind him. "Who arr'h you ph-people...! Wherr... Wherr _am_ I?" he let out, struggling to annunciate the words right as, like the rest of his body, his mouth felt stiff and lethargic like it hadn't been used properly in ages.

Seeing him withdraw rather than press forward, most of the soldier-looking people exchanged glances behind their dark visors and seemed to ease back a little, though they were obviously still keeping a close eye on him.

Looking around himself proper, the boy realized that he, the web-cocoon and the soldiers were all inside this large and square, clinical-looking room. The walls all looked slick and fortified, and the only exit seemed to be a single steel-gate located on the far wall behind the soldiers. Tilting his head slightly to the side in order to peer past them, he noticed that the same wall was also fitted with a wide window-panel where several people in long white coats seemed to be in a tizzy as they were observing him from outside of the room.

"Wha... Whad ish this place?" the boy let out nervously while he tried to sort out his dry throat. "Habe... Have I been k-k-kidnapped by some sh-shady gobernment organization to be ex-ex-ex-perimented on or shomething?"

"Hyoh-ho-ho. Calm down, young lad. There's no reason to fret."

Looking straight forward, the boy saw a small, wrinkled granny wearing a lab-coat and a visor over her eyes force her way past the soldiers' legs as she made her way towards him. Old though she may, the woman's presence made the boy distinctly aware of the fact that he was currently wearing nothing but torn and shredded rags, which honestly did little to cover his body.

"At the very least," the granny continued, supporting herself against her cane as she quietly regarded him. "You're probably only _partially_ correct."

"...Huh?"

"Here," she held forward a small dispenser. "Do you want some candy? Don't be shy now."

While the flabbergasted boy was still trying to process the situation, another man in a lab coat had entered the room and was running up towards them.

"Doctor Shuuzenji!" the newcomer called, addressing the tiny old woman as the soldiers let him trough. "You mustn't just barge into the observation-room before we've ascertained the subject's threat-level. He might be dangerous-OW!"

" _Most_ people could be dangerous in today's society if they so chose to be," the little old lady harrumphed as she retracted her cane from the man's shin before turning back to regard the boy on the floor. "And I can tell just from looking that _this one_ doesn't mean to cause anyone any harm... Do you, boy?"

"Huh? Eh, n-no, I don't... At-At least I don't _think_ so..."

At that response, the old woman's grandmotherly smile widened just a smidge and she nodded approvingly.

"Yes, that's good to hear, indeed. Now, lad, I'm certain you have plenty of questions to ask. But before we get started... can you please tell me your name?"

"My-My name...?"

"Yes. Surely you know what your own name is, don't you, lad?"

"Of... Of course I do," the boy spluttered as if anything else would be ludicrous. "It's Izuku. ...Midoriya Izuku."

* * *

Midoriya Inko, a pleasantly plump middle-aged woman, was breathing raggedly as she hurried down the hallways a fast as she could.

Making her way through a more secure and fortified wing of the city's main hospital, she'd nearly left the nurse guiding her in her dust as she swiftly moved through the corridors with the familiarity of someone who'd visited the facility often enough to learn its layout by heart, before eventually coming to a stop in front a door where two armored guards were standing vigil.

As she braced her hands on her knees and struggled to steady her breath, the nurse finally caught up and panted an explanation to the two guards who were quick to nod and stand aside, allowing the two women entrance as they opened the door for them.

Behind the door was a sophisticated hospital room filled with screens and machinery meant for various medical examinations — but among the handful of people inside the room, the middle-aged woman's attention locked directly onto the young, bushy haired boy in hospital pajamas who sat atop one of the benches while a little old doctor lady listened to his vitals with a stethoscope.

But like her gaze had locked onto him, his gaze had swiveled around to lock onto her as soon as she'd entered the room. The pair regarded one another in stunned silence for a few seconds until the boy seemed to be the first to snap out of it.

"Mo-MOM!"

"Iz-Iz-Iz-Iz-IZUkhUUUh~!"

While the bushy-haired boy was elated, the middle-aged woman was crying virtual rivers of tears as she stormed forwards. Ignoring the protests of the old doctor, the boy pushed himself off the bench and staggered unsteadily across the floor until he fell forwards into his mother's eager embrace.

"Izukuuu!" the woman continued crying as she clang onto him for dear life. "Thank ghoodnesh! _Thank ghoodnesh!_ When it first happened, I was so worried! You were just so hurt, and the doctors, they couldn't help you...! And then you spent all those months in that cocoon-thing, and I.. I just... _Uwaaahh~!_ "

"...I've... I've missed you too, Mom," the boy said softly as he weakly returned the hug and rested his head in-between her neck and her shoulder, relishing in the familiar scent and embrace of his beloved mother.

Once the woman's bawling had finally quieted down to more manageable levels, the woman released the embrace and stood back while cupping his face in her hands so that she could look at him properly.

While the boy before her was unquestioningly her son, his appearance had changed slightly since she'd last had gotten to look at him.

Leaving aside the longer and messier-looking hair which hid nearly half his face from view, the boy had also grown a few inches taller, forcing him to slouch forwards quite a bit in order to allow her to embrace him properly earlier. She could also tell from his open hospital shirt and slightly sharper jawline that he'd gotten a lot more ganglier, looking a bit undernourished, which given the circumstances didn't really come as a surprise.

Pulling him forwards and placing a big smooch on his cheek, the teary-eyed woman graced the boy with a frazzled but genuine, motherly smile.

"It's..." she sniffed. "It's _so_ good to see you again, Izuku."

"Yeah... It's nice to see you too, Mom," he smiled back with that shy, tired smile he'd been sporting ever since they embraced.

"Is... Is you body alright? How are you feeling? You're not hurting anywhere, are you?"

"I... I feel fine, Mom," was the soft reply. "I mean, my body feels weak... And tired... Like I'm completely exhausted... But other than that, I... I feel _fine_ , Mom. ...I feel fine."

"Oh, thank goodness..." Inko sighed, wiping away her tears with her sleeve. "Back when it first happened, I was so worried that you... That you wouldn't..." she trailed off, not daring to finish that particular sentence. "Oh, let me get all this hair of yours out of the way."

"Ah, Mom. Wait-"

As she'd reached up to brush away the long, frazzled locks, Izuku attempted to reach up a hand to stop her, but he was too late and saw his mother freeze up as she got an unobstructed view of his features.

While the freckled, wide-eyed face that stared back at her was indeed her son's, the woman noted in the back of her mind that he was doing so with several more sets of eyes than she was used to.

Spread out across the boy's forehead were several small dark orbs, shining with the same tint of green that adorned his regular sets of eyes, and they all seemed to be focusing back upon her as well.

In their modern society, where people possessing some kind of supernatural ability or feature was actually more common than the opposite, features like this were in no way horrid or freakish to behold. However, it DID come as a surprise for Inko to witness something like that upon her son's face, who for more than thirteen years had looked as plain and normal as a Quirkless human's face possibly could.

Eventually her brain rebooted, and she tore her gaze away from the small eyes on his forehead to take in his overall, hesitantly concerned expression.

"Are... Are you alright, Mom?"

"... _Ah_. I'm... I'm sorry, honey. I was... I was just _surprised_ , that's all," she reassured him, giving him another quick hug for good measure.

"It's okay, Mom. I was kind of surprised _myself_ when I found out about them," he claimed with a soft chuckle.

While true, it was also a gross understatement as the jittery boy had nearly screamed his head off in surprise while the old doctor had held up a handheld mirror for him with a jovial expression on her face.

"Those... Those extra eyes of yours..." Inko continued. "Are they a _result_ of what happened to you? Has your body changed in any other ways as well?"

" _That_ was what we've been trying to catalogue ever since the boy emerged earlier this morning," the aforementioned little old lady broke in, having quietly allowed the mother and son pair to enjoy their reunion uninterrupted up until now.

" _'Emerged'_ ," Inko carefully repeated the word as she looked over at her. "You mean from that large cocoon-thing?"

"Indeed," the old doctor nodded. "Once we ascertained that young Izuku here — despite his physical fatigue — was more or less in _sound_ mind and health, we've been busy examining all the ways his body has mutated while inside the cocoon. The changes are multiple, but so far it's safe to say that they all share a similar characteristic..."

Inko gulped. She could see where this was going.

"Let me guess... They're _spider_ -like?"

"Very much so," the doctor nodded once more.

"...Well. That's..." Inko blinked as her gaze flitted about uncertainly before finally coming to rest upon her son's face who gave her close-eyed smile.

"It's alright, Mom," he reassured her while nervously scratching at his cheek. "I mean... I was honestly pretty shocked at first, but... But now I'm actually feeling a little _excited_ at the prospect..."

"Then... Then isn't this great, Izuku?" she said with careful, but rising optimism. "Despite the circumstances, you've _finally_ gotten a Quirk of your own. That means you might one day be able to become a _Hero_ , just like you've always wanted...!"

"I know, right?" he replied as they both broke into small, but heartfelt identical grins.

"N-Now hold on just a moment," the male doctor/scientist from earlier cut in. "We can't just release a boy with a highly unorthodox mutation out into the general public! The boy must be quarantined until we've properly tested and analyzed the risk of- _OW!_ "

"What my colleague who's severely lacking in bedside manner is trying to get across," the little old lady spoke as she retracted her cane from the now-crouching man's shin once more, "is that we'd like some time to study his unusual condition in a controlled environment for a while — just until we can determine both the full scope of his new abilities, as well as help him control them so that he won't accidentally pose a risk to anyone, particularly himself."

"I... I guess that is reasonable..." Inko admitted after she and her son had exchanged glances, ending with a confident and affirmative nod from him. "Just as long as you can assure me that I'll be allowed to visit my little boy regularly, that is."

"But of course," the old lady smiled encouragingly. "To be frank, I already have some ideas about how to proceed with this matter that I'd like to discuss with the two of you. We're just waiting for someone else to arrive, and then we can get started."

"Someone else?" Inko blinked. "Who would that be?"

As soon as his mother had finished talking, Izuku suddenly felt an instinctual sense flash through his head, telling him to turn towards the door. Or at least he _thought_ it was instinctual, because he'd honestly never felt _anything_ like it before.

Regardless, the next second the door slammed open with enough force to nearly embed itself into the wall, thanks to the tall and muscular, larger-than-life figure who was posing in the doorway as he performed his 'dramatic entry'.

"NEVER FEAR, GOOD PEOPLE! _WHY_ , YOU ASK?" His white, dazzling smile 'pinged' once for dramatic effect. "BECAUSE _**I**_ AM HERE."

End of chapter 1.

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

Heh. While I have no intention of aborting my TFA-fanfic, I just had to get this thing out of my system. Safe to say that this will be a somewhat more light-hearted project, but I hope it'll still be enjoyable to read.

While I'd personally prefer an AU-fic with a Quirkless Deku attending U.A. with skills and gadgets after getting trained by a Batman-expy or something (heh. If _All Might_ is this world's "Superman", the Batman-expy could be called _"Dark Knight"_ to mirror his name, lol), _this_ however is the direction my inspiration took me, so I'll see where it goes for now.

In this fic Yamikumo-, _er_ , I mean _Midoriya_ will basically be a Spider-man-clone _(not LITERALLY though)_ with a few tweaks and original touches, which kinda seems to suit his personality a little. Perhaps I'll go with a variation on the classic costume, using _green_ and _black_ instead of the ol' red and blue...

Until next time.


	2. If it seems too good to be true

**MY HERO ACADEMIA AU - The Spectacular Spider-Deku**

Chapter 2: If it seems too good to be true...

* * *

"Now for starters..." Doctor Shuuzenji began after taking a sip of her tea. "The mutation of the boy's body has among other things greatly enhanced his general physiology, all the way down to his very skeleton and connective tissues. Quirk augmentations like these are known to grant the individual in question _increased_ levels of strength and durability — something which the preliminary tests we've done so far seems to support in regards to young Izuku here..."

As the little old doctor spoke, the four figures seated on the small office couch across from her hung on raptly to every word. Though understandably, _some_ of them more than others...

"..So in short, you're saying that my son will have super strength?" Midoriya Inko spoke up from the right edge of the small couch, while she kept a watchful eye on her son seated beside her. "Um, exactly how strong exactly are we talking here?"

"Hmm, that is a little hard to determine until his body has fully rehabilitated," the doctor said as she put her cup aside in favor of skimming through a couple of medical documents. "But if I were to hazard a guess... Based on these readings, I figure he should be able to lift or press a couple of tons at the very least."

"T-T-TONS?!" the bug-eyed mother and son pair exclaimed out loud with identical comical expressions of shock.

"Quite. Perhaps eventually up into the double-digits, with the proper training..." the doctor mused out loud while taking their loud disbelief completely in stride. After making a few quick notes on the documents with a pen, she continued placidly. "Well, it's nothing near the level of Heroes like All Might for instance, but it will certainly rank the boy's base strength firmly in the 'superhuman' category."

"Oh- _hoh_. That is _some_ strength, indeed," the giant, muscular figure smiled where he sat on Izuku's left, taking up most of the small couch's seating surface with his huge frame. "A person can do a _lot_ of good with that kind of strength," he crossed his arms and nodded approvingly. "Especially should they so choose to become a Hero."

The two members of the Midoriya family could do little but smile awkwardly at the man's praise, as the legendary Hero's very presence right beside them had nearly rendered them into overexcited nervous wrecks to begin with.

"However, that's not all there is to his new Quirk, is there, Doctor?" the Hero continued, turning a bit more serious despite his ever-present grin.

"No, that's just barely scratching the surface. Little Izuku's Quirk — though unorthodox — can be classified as a Mutant-type Quirk. More specifically, an _animal_ -based mutation; in this case that of a spider."

Both mother and son audibly gulped as they determinedly faced forward.

"As you can see on these magnified scans," the little old granny spoke as she handed out a small stack of pictures, "his body has gained several additional features designed to allow him to simulate a spider's natural abilities. For instance, the microscopic hairs on the insides of his hands and feet now resemble the scopulae hairs on the ends of a spider's leg, which is what allows them to statically cling to surfaces at an atomic level. That in conjunction with his enhanced physical strength should allow him to climb up vertical surfaces easily. That is, once he learns to control their adhesion at least," she commented with an amused smile as the boy in question was shaking his hand back and forth, struggling to let go of the picture he was currently holding as if it had been attached to his palm with glue.

Pulling with his free hand, he slowly managed to pry it loose without tearing it — only to groan in annoyance once he discovered that it had now become stuck to _that_ hand instead.

As the picture remained firmly attached despite his renewed efforts, a large hand carefully grasped his forearm while another grabbed at the edge of the picture.

"Here. Allow me," All Might said as he helped him let go of the picture and placed it down on the low coffee table in front of them.

"Umm... T-Thank you," Izuku timidly replied.

"Don't worry about it, youngster," All Might smiled and nodded down at the jittery boy, though the Hero seemed to raise a perplexed eyebrow when the child turned away from his gaze with a slightly downcast, if not _guilty_ expression on his freckled face.

Meanwhile on the other side of the couch, Inko looked steadily back and forth from the pictures she'd been scrutinizing and towards her son's wrists.

"Then, Doctor? What are these things inside Izuku's wrists and forearms here?" she finally said as she grabbed one of his arms and held it up alongside the corresponding ct-scan of it, referring to internal tubes running down to the odd little protrusions on the inside of his wrists.

"Ah, that? That would be his _spinnerets_."

"His... His what?" she blinked.

"Here. Allow me to demonstrate," the doctor said as she scooted out of her tall chair and walked around the coffee table. "Now, hold out your arm, boy."

"Um, okay. Sure?" Izuku replied and did as instructed, allowing the little old lady to grab around and investigate his forearm.

"What you're seeing on the ct-scans would be the tubes from his silk glands, running down the length of his arms until exiting here upon the wrists via his spinnerets. Now, if I were to apply a little pressure in the right places," she said and did just so, causing something to shoot with a _'thwip'_ out of the boy's wrist and embed itself against the wall all the way across the room, " _Bingo_. The boy becomes able to launch his very own webbing."

As the thin white string of sticky fluid — going from the boy's wrist to the wall — dangled across the room, Inko merely blinked in bewilderment while All Might placed a hand on his jaw and nodded in fascination at the demonstration. Izuku himself however could only openly gape as his brain struggled to process this new bodily function.

"I... I'm just... I can't..."

"Oh, pull yourself together now, lad," the doctor chided in a motherly tone as she leaned upwards and closed his mouth with her hand before heading back towards her chair. "I'd say you were quite fortunate with this particular mutation. Just imagine: You could've ended up shooting your webbing out of your butt, the way _actual_ spiders do."

That revelation promptly snapped the boy out of his stupor. He really didn't want to think too hard about how _that_ would've ended up looking like.

As he used the aid of his other hand to detach the line of webbing from his wrist, the little old granny climbed back up into her chair and then helped herself to another sip of her tea.

"Now then. Including his additional sets of eyes, these are perhaps the most obvious mutations to little Izuku's body. At the moment they are in their teething-stages, but as his health recovers, their potential should increase exponentially. And this is where one of our concerns lies."

"W-What do you mean?" Izuku asked as he and his mother looked up at her, only for the man beside them to answer instead.

"As I'm sure you are aware, a person's Quirk normally manifests itself at the age of four. It thereon proceeds to grow and develop little by little over time as the user themselves ages, allowing their mastery of it to become nothing short of second nature by the time they've grown up. However in young Midoriya-kun's case, who is already fourteen, his Quirk _has_ and _will_ continue to develop at an accelerated pace, something that will likely affect his control over it. Without careful guidance, the result of that could easily become quite... unfortunate."

Noticing that that the two Midoriya family members where staring up at him with a mixture of trepidation and awe, the professional Hero coughed into his hand and glanced away.

"Um. During my long career, I've seen for myself how unorthodox Quirks might overwhelm or harm their own users. While young Midoriya's circumstances are indeed out of the ordinary, there _have_ been a handful of other cases with factors that are comparable."

"I... I see..." Izuku muttered before looking down on his slowly clenching and unclenching fists while his mother regarded him concernedly.

"Which brings us to why All Might-kun and myself are here in the first place," a high-pitched, squeaky voice rang out as the fourth occupant on the couch finally spoke up.

Seated at the left edge of the couch, on the other side of All Might, was a small, white-furred creature in a suit and tie, with a scar running down over its right eye.

While the Midoriyas had already been flabbergasted earlier by the legendary All Might's appearance at the hospital, the small yet articulate being that proceeded to emerge out of his shirt collar right afterwards had only served to startle and bewilder them even further. This well-dressed creature now seated next to them — which resembled something akin to a mix between a mouse, a dog and a small bear — was known as _Nedzu,_ and served the esteemed and reputable role as the principal of U.A. Academy: the _number one_ high school for Heroes.

"There have been cases before, where a person have come out of a coma for instance and discovered afterwards that their Quirk has grown beyond their control in the interim," he elaborated. "In situations like these, the best thing to do is to keep the individual in question in an isolated environment while carefully selected professionals help them familiarize and adapt to their new circumstances, until they've become fully prepared to return to society once more."

"Think of it like physiotherapy for a patient to master their Quirks until they no longer run the risk of harming anyone accidentally with it at least," Doctor Shuuzenji summed up.

"Um, and where exactly would this therapy take place?" Inko asked uncertainly as she leaned forward in order to see the small principal past the large Hero sitting in-between them. "It... It won't be somewhere far away and remote, will it?"

Izuku looked down at his feet anxiously, concerned about the prospect as well.

"In some cases, yes," Nedzu replied, and Inko felt her heart sink. "But in this instance, I would like to extend an offer of handling his therapy locally, on the U.A. grounds."

"...Eh?" the mother and son quietly exclaimed in synch before their eyes proceeded to bug out. " _EEEEEEEEEHHH?!_ "

After screaming their heads off in surprise, the pair descended together into a gibbering mess.

"O-o-o-o-on U.A?! _The_ U.A?!"

"Y-Y-Y-Y-You're going to treat him on the grounds of that famous school?!"

" _Eeeeeh?!_ "

" _Eeeeeh?!_ "

"Hmph. So noisy..." the little old doctor muttered, reaching up under her headgear to rub her ear as the two kept on screeching. "Now calm down, already!" she ordered. "There are perfectly reasonable explanations for this decision."

The two settled back down properly to sit at attention, changing demeanor so fast that All Might couldn't help but blink and sweatdrop at the immediate transition.

"As you might know, my full-time position is as the school nurse chiefly responsible for treating the students who're training to become Heroes at the academy," she told them as she took a off her headgear and started cleaning the visor with a tissue. "But since I've been so closely involved with Midoriya's case so far, this would allow me to continue monitoring him as his Quirk develops while also looking after my regular job."

The two nodded dumbly before turning to their left as the principal took over.

"Also, on U.A. we have several professional Heroes and experienced teachers at hand whom would be perfectly suited to handle young Midoriya's physical therapy, while simultaneously overlooking his health and safety," he explained. "While he will probably be kept separate from the students until further notice, it should at least provide a well-suited and nurturing environment for his rehabilitation."

"At least more than being kept locked inside a sealed facility somewhere," the old doctor muttered with a slightly bitter edge in her voice, which made the Midoriyas realize that they were quite fortunate to have this little old woman on _their_ side in this.

"Naturally, the teachers can be counted on to help him catch up with his school studies as well," Nedzu leaned forward and reassured the pair.

"I... I don't know what to say..." Inko admitted, placing a palm against her forehead. "This seems almost all too good to be true."

"Yeah..." Izuku nodded slowly, looking down with a slightly more conflicted expression on his face than his mother's.

"And who knows..." All Might began with a chuckle. "If his rehabilitation comes along well enough, he might even be able to apply for the Academy's proper entrance exam as early as next semester. Ha ha h- _glerk!_ " he exclaimed as a cane suddenly flew up and smacked him in the face.

"What do you think you're doing, you blasted fool," the old doctor admonished him as she stood on her chair. "The boy will have enough on his plate just focusing on his rehabilitation. He doesn't need you fanning the flames for something like that right out of the gate, you tremendous nincompoop."

"I'm sorry," All Might admitted with a hand nursing his nose as he handed back the lady's walking stick. "I guess I got a little carried away there..."

"There's nothing _'little'_ about it! Honestly..."

"You need to learn better restraint, All Might-kun," Nedzu chided lightly with a smile.

"I... I have no excuse."

After blinking wide-eyed at seeing the legendary number one Hero hang his head in shame while being lectured like a child, Inko turned to her son leaning forward in his seat and reached around his back to place her hands upon his shoulders.

"Is... Isn't this _amazing_ , Izuku?" she said, lightly shaking him. "This is like everything you've ever _dreamed_ of...!"

"..."

"...Izuku?"

At the woman's uncertain voice, the rest of the room's occupants turned to face the boy who sat hunched forward with his head hanging down, seemingly unresponsive to the world around him as his frazzled hair obscured his face.

" _I-Izuku!_ " the woman tried again, shaking him a little harder which seemed to snap him out of it.

"Huh, wha-? Oh _yeah_. Yeah, it is, Mom," he replied to her good-naturedly before looking down again with a somewhat hard to read expression on his face. "It truly is..."

At the boy's continued listless mood, Inko's brows furrowed.

"...Izuku? What is it?" she pressed carefully.

"Um, Mom?" he finally after a moment in a quiet voice. "Would you mind if I talked with everyone here by myself... for a moment?"

"..."

* * *

While she'd seemed concerned and hesitant, Inko had eventually agreed to leave the room for a few minutes, being escorted outside by a nurse so she could get some coffee.

Once the door had clicked shut behind her, the remaining three figures in the room quietly regarded the boy as he remained sitting in his hunched forward position.

"Well, we're alone now..." the old doctor broke the tense silence. "What's on your mind, lad?"

"Um, actually..." the boy stuttered, "I think it might be best if I were to talk with All Might, all alone."

"..."

"Relax, youngster," the man said as he let his giant fist fall reassuringly onto the boy's shoulder. "These two are old acquaintances of mine. Anything you'd like to tell me, you can say in front of them as well."

Izuku stirred, but he still didn't raise his head.

And then, finally, he spoke in a raw and weak tone of voice.

"Are... Are you doing all of this... so I will keep my mouth shut?"

Mass blinking ensued.

"Ummm... Come again, boy?"

"All of this," he gestured by spreading his arms wide before placing them firmly back onto his legs. "This _fantastic_ opportunity you're giving me here... Is it all because that I know the truth?" he grit out, grasping hard onto his knees. "Because that I know about your... your _secret?_ "

The room's occupants' eyes widened as they finally realized what this was all about.

"B-because it's unnecessary, really... I-I mean, you're the 'Symbol of Peace', for crying out loud...!" Izuku continued as he started babbling. "I would... I could _never_ do something like reveal that to everyone! Of-Of course, that doesn't mean that I'm not _happy_ about your offer... In fact, I'm _ecstatic_...! It's... It's _just_..."

As he'd been talking, All Might had gotten out of his seat and proceeded to kneel down in front of the boy to place his large hands upon his shoulders.

Still, the boy wouldn't raise his head, and actually seemed to _flinch_ at the contact.

Seeing this, All Might let out an uncharacteristic and long-winded sigh before small streams of steam started to rise off his body — eventually exploding into a cloud that obscured him from view.

Once the surprised Izuku looked up, he was met with the gangly visage of All Might's _true_ form... Toshinori Yagi.

"A... All Might..." Izuku breathed, his single visible eye between his unruly mop of hair widening as the two stared at one another.

"You've gotten it all wrong, Midoriya, my boy," Toshinori reassured him while tightening his grip on the boy's shoulders with his now bony fingers. "This thing here, it isn't an attempt at _bribing_ you into silence about this true form of mine. No, that's not it at _all_."

After looking down and shaking his head a little, Toshinori met Izuku's gaze again.

"While our offers are indeed mostly genuine," he admitted, "this is in part also about repaying you what I owe... As well as making amends for letting you down that day — Not only once, but _twice_ in succession."

"L-letting me down?" Izuku looked back, as if he couldn't quite understand what he meant by that...

That the very _idea_ was almost laughable.

However, the look in Toshinori's eyes remained completely serious.

End of chapter two.

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

And there's chapter two. Hopefully it doesn't seem completely contrived with how quick things are progressing.

Also, since people have been asking: While I'll probably restrain myself from adding too many Marvel elements — like turning other canon-characters into expies the same way I've done with Izuku — I will at least try to include members of Spidey's _rogue's gallery_ into the story, lightly reinventing them to fit into the MHA-universe in some ways or another. Please let me know how you feel about that.

 **Next time:**

What _happened_ that day.


	3. Midoriya Izuku: The Origin, part 1

**MY HERO ACADEMIA AU - The Spectacular Spider-Deku**

Chapter 3: Midoriya Izuku: The Origin, part 1 — And those with Powers shall Inherit the Earth.

* * *

The fourteen-year-old Midoriya Izuku's day so far had strictly speaking not been as great as he'd hoped.

Today was the day his idol, the legendary number one Hero, _All Might_ , was slated to appear at a public event, not too far from his local area. As it turns out: in order to draw publicity to a recently opened, brand new super mall, some bigwig had gotten the Hero to agree to stage a Hero-show there in return for a rather hefty sum donated directly to charity.

The only problem was that it ended up being scheduled to take place rather early in the afternoon on a school day, forcing Izuku to have to run himself ragged — _both to and from the train stations_ — the instant his classes had ended if he'd wanted to reach the right city district in time before the event started.

So here he was, running for his life down the last couple of blocks towards the mall, as he was simply _dying_ to finally get a chance to see the superhero in the flesh for the very first time, and he didn't want to miss a single _second_ of it.

...He also felt like dying from the sheer _effort_ he was currently going trough, but he would soldier on for the sake of his idol.

However, once the understandably hot topic had been broached at school earlier, it had naturally led to a class-discussion of the students' future plans for when they would graduate next year, which — surprising _no one_ — was that _everyone_ wanted to apply for U.A., the high school for aspiring Heroes which was consider the top Hero Academy in the world.

But once it came up that even he himself, the one and only _Quirkless_ kid in class, was aiming for U.A. as well, he'd been turned into a laughing stock by his class as his dream to one day become a Hero had once again been mocked for the umpteenth time.

But it got worse still.

Once most of the class had left for lunch break afterwards, he'd been cornered by the class-bully and his tagalongs who'd proceeded to mock his "Hero Journal" — the notebooks in which he'd jut down his observations about active Heroes and Quirks over the years (he was now up to #13) — and attempt to destroy it out of sheer, petty vindictiveness. Izuku had managed to recover and salvage most of it afterwards, but the casual cruelty of the bullies' words and actions had caused his mood to sour and he'd spent the rest of the day quietly keeping his down and done his best to avoid making eye-contact with anyone else.

However, despite the day's setbacks, he'd still been looking forward to the events that would be taking place afterwards — and the very second that bell had rung, the boy had been out the door and scrambled towards the nearest train-station.

And then, here he was: hands on his knees and breathing and sweating heavily as he had have to run several blocks both before and after the train ride, but he'd made it. He had finally arrived at the super mall that the event was taking place at.

As he entered, Izuku could see that despite the hour, the place was still packed to the brim with people who were all anticipating the upcoming show, either gathering en masse in front of the large stage that had been prepared on the ground floor, or crowding against the banisters on the upper levels all the way up to the sixth floor.

Looking around, Izuku couldn't help but smile. Not only at the sheer amount of people that had made time to see the event with their friends or families, but also at the very people themselves. All around him were individuals with odd or peculiar characteristics mingling naturally with the crowd, signifying how the people of the current day and age had evolved and mutated into superbeing-society where nearly everyone was accepted, no matter how strange their appearance or abilities might be. And this stabile peace their country currently had was in a great part thanks to the man they had all come to see this day.

Aw, shoot. He'd gotten so wrapped up in trying to analyze the potential Quirks of some of the people around him based on their physical mutations that he'd almost forgotten that the show was gonna start any minute now. He'd better hurry and try to see if he could find a good spot to watch it fro—

" _Deku!_ I should've _known_ a nerd like you would be here," a familiar voice erupted behind him, causing Izuku to freeze in his tracks.

Turning around slowly, Izuku was greeted to the all-too-familiar haughty smirk of an ash-blond, spiky-haired boy wearing the same middle-school uniform as him. This was none other than his quote-unquote childhood-friend, Bakugou Katsuki: a kid with a Quirk that allowed him to create explosions from the palm of his hands, and was viewed by those around him as a talented genius and a natural shoe-in for future Hero-material.

Unfortunately, he also had a _giant_ ego, an _abysmal_ temper, and was more or less the _bane_ of Izuku's existence: being the one to personally instigate most of the bullying the boy had suffered, ever since their days together in kindergarten.

" _Hmph._ I thought you disappeared quickly once the bell rang," he sniffed arrogantly as he sauntered up to him with a swagger. "I figured you were heading home to bawl your eyes out about that stupid journal of yours," he mocked as a few miniature-explosions popped in one of his palms. "But I guess everything else takes a backseat for your _geek-on_ for Heroes, huh... You must've ran your ass off to make it all the way here this quickly, didn't you, you fucking nerd?"

With his hands tightly clasped onto the straps of his backpack, the timid Izuku's face was a mixture of emotions as he faced the other boy. Fear of getting on the boy's bad side again. Loathing for always having to suffer under the boy's every arrogant whim... And a sadness over the fact that _this_ was what their once-friendship had been reduced to.

But as they stared-off against each other, Izuku was distracted from his nerves as he started to notice subtle details in the other boy's appearance. From the faintly noticeable sweat droplets running down Katsuki's cheek, to his slightly labored breathing, the pieces quickly clicked together in the green-haired boy's head.

" _Ah_. _You_ hurried and ran all the way over here as well, didn't you Kacchan?" he smiled good-naturedly at the realization. "You must've wanted to not miss anything of All Might's show either, huh."

"* _Ghk!*_ S-So what if I _did?_ " the other boy snapped back, flustered and grimacing angrily at being seen through so easily. "It's none of your frickin' business anyway, you fucking nerd!"

The ash-blond boy stuffed his hands into his pockets and shouldered past the other boy in a huff as he marched over to the crowd, where he proceeded to use his 'sunny disposition' to muscle and intimidate his way forward into the sea of people so he could get closer to the stage, impervious to the disapproving looks he earned in the process.

"Ah, Kacchan! Waitup- _!_ " Izuku called as he attempted to follow him into the wake in the crowd, but was halted in place as the other boy whirled around and thrust out an open palm to hover right in front of his face.

Having learnt intimately over the years just how Katsuki's Quirk worked, Izuku recognized the threat for what it was, even if the crowd around them didn't.

"Haven't I told you to quit being such a fucking tagalong, _Deku?_ " he sneered darkly at him as a barely noticeable heat and wisps of smoke drifted off his outstretched hand. "Just settle for watching the show from _far_ , far away on the back row! It's where a Quirkless loser like you will have to spend the rest of your life after all!"

With that snide declaration Katsuki turned back around and continued muscling his forwards, leaving behind a disheartened Izuku who could only stand and watch silently as his form eventually disappeared amidst the throng of people.

* * *

Somewhere, in a dark room illuminated mainly by a large screen showing multiple feeds from the mall's surveillance system, a bruised and battered man was kneeling hunched over on the floor while sweating profusely.

"I... I can't keep going..." he groaned with laboured breath, acting as if he was struggling under the weight of some unseen form of prolonged strain. "It's been _too_ long... I... I _can't_ continue maintaining it...!"

"Aah. Just a little while longer now, my friend," a calm and detached voice said from somewhere within the darkness, clearly uncaring about the other man's duress. "You've hanged in there _this_ long. Everything should be in place in just a few more minutes."

"P-Please..." the man was sobbing. "I can't—"

" _Ah_ -ah-ah. We've been _over_ this already," the voice chided flippantly. "Just continue keeping your Quirk activated as you're told. After all, you _know_ what will happen if you don't."

The sudden sharp edge in the otherwise calm and quiet voice made it clear that the speaker would definitely follow through on the underlying threat.

Looking down at the crinkly photograph he was clutching in his hand like a lifeline, the kneeling man rested his forehead against the floor and grit his teeth together while groaning and whimpering from the strenuous effort he was going trough.

"There, there, just a little more," the voice persisted as its owner turned their attention back towards the screen on the wall. "All Might should be there any second now, and then it will all be over. Both for you... And for them."

* * *

Back in the shopping center, the upper story balcony floors overlooking the main hall were full of eager spectators crowding against the railings as well, as they were all eager to see the legendary Hero in person.

But a few feet behind some of the gathered onlookers, Izuku sighed tiredly as he reclined against the display-window of the store behind him. He had tried his luck in several places, but nowhere provided any proper space for any latecomers to wedge themselves in and get a good view of the stage below, neither from the front or from the sides.

Looking at the backs of the crowd blocking his view, he once again couldn't help but feel just a smidge resentful at his lot in life. While some had Quirks that allowed them to see over the crowd, like eyeballs on antennas or a telescopic neck, etc, _he_ had no such advantage, and was hardly ever given any sort of handicap to make up for it — Not in this or any _other_ similar kind of situation. Rather, all he ever got was ridicule and scorn instead for being powerless, usually spearheaded by his old 'childhood friend'.

So what if his dream of becoming a Hero, even _without_ a Quirk, was a little farfetched. That doesn't have to mean that it was _completely_ impossible, does it?

...Or perhaps Kacchan was right all along, and he was only fooling himself by being so blindly stubborn.

Banging his head against the glass-panel behind him, Izuku let out yet another sigh while letting his head sag sideways in a dejected manner.

It was while mulling over things in this position, with the side of his head resting against the glass, that he eventually realized that the store he was standing outside of happened to be the mall's pet shop.

Peering through the large display window from his position, he could see various glass-tanks and cages filled with small fish and other critters, like rodents and rabbits and the like, chill out in the otherwise empty store as they didn't necessarily need constant supervision in their containments.

He also noticed some glass-cages lining one of the walls filled with spiders of various breeds and sizes, which made him raise an eyebrow. Seeing a particularly large one crawl around on its long, hairy legs inside its containment, the boy repressed a shudder. There probably was a market for those things, sure, but the boy couldn't really personally see the appeal in owning a pet like _that_.

As luck would have it however, the pet shop was located on the corner of a hallway leading back to the toilets and emergency exits and such, meaning the store had another display window running perpendicular to the one he was leaning against. And it was trough these two sets of windows that he noticed two people coming out one of the doorways leading to the back corridors meant for employees only. But while one of them seemed to be part of the security at the mall going by his uniform, the other was a beautiful woman with long spiky hair running down her back and dressed in a formfitting and somewhat lewd superhero-costume akin to that of a dominatrix.

Naturally, Izuku recognized the woman at once as the professional Hero, _Kayama Nemuri:_ better known as the infamous _'18+ only'_ Heroine, _Midnight_.

His spirits lifting at seeing a Pro Hero so close, Izuku scrambled away from the window and over to the corner of the shop so he could watch the pair directly as they stood down the hallway, talking.

"A-Amazing... It's really _Midnight_...!" he whispered as he quietly started fanboying. "I've... I've _gotta_ try and ask for her autograph..."

But before he could attempt to walk out into view and approach them, the pair's conversation suddenly registered to the boy and halted him in his tracks.

"So, is All Might going to be done preparing soon, Ms. Midnight?" the man had asked as he'd closed the door behind them.

"No worries. He told me he only needed to freshen up a bit, and then he should be ready to appear on stage in about five minutes or so." the Hero smiled as she adjusted the coiled-up whip hanging on her hip.

"I see, that's good," the man nodded as they started walking down the corridors, the pair taking the long way around the building so that they wouldn't have to run straight into the crowd. "But I must say, with the turnout this event has caused, I'm incredibly relieved by the fact that even a Pro Hero like yourself was willing to lend an extra hand with the security."

"Well, my Quirk is pretty well-suited for crowd control, after all. Besides, no matter the unbelievable _audacity_ it would require for a Villain to try causing trouble at an event with All Might _himself_ present, it doesn't hurts to be cautious, y'know."

"I assure you that we've taken every precaution we could in preparation, but nevertheless, we're still well and truly grateful for your presence as well today."

"My, you flatterer, you."

As they'd been talking, Izuku has snuck into the hallway and up to the next corner behind them. As he watched them leave, he peered back at the door they'd first exited as a part of their conversation repeated itself in his mind.

All Might was there, somewhere in the back rooms getting ready. Though he knew those areas were meant for mall employees and security only, the boy just could not help himself and snuck over to try the handle.

The door opened.

* * *

In one of the personnel bathrooms located in the back corridors, a toilet finished flushing as a lanky figure wearing oversized, baggy clothes stood over the sink and washed his hands. Once finished and shaken the excess water off his hands, the person looked up at himself in the mirror and released a tired sigh before straightening his posture.

"...Alright then. I guess it's Showtime."

His body then started to abruptly inflate and bulk up to perfectly fill out his baggy clothes, turning the man from a twig of a person into a mountain of muscle within seconds while a large and confident grin was plastered across his face.

* * *

Roaming aimlessly through the empty corridors, Izuku was getting more and more nervous, regretting his decision further with every step he took.

What was he even _thinking_ , coming in here? Not only was he trespassing, he was doing so at a highly inopportune moment when security was supposedly more of an issue then normal. Any minute now he might come across a security guard or another employee and end up in a _world_ of trouble...

«Creak— _SLAM._ »

" _Ghrk._ "

«Thud _._ »

Or get knocked flat on his back as a door suddenly swung open right into his face.

"Hm? _AH._ ...Oh _my_."

End of chapter 3.

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

There. After much trial and error I've finally gotten this chapter halfway-adequate, which is the best I can manage for now. Going by how much I've written so far, the flashback-story will probably take about three more chapters before we return to the present once more and start the training of Izuku's new abilities.

The mystery-figure who was hinted at in this chapter will be an MHA-adaptation of one of the official Spider-man villains, who will serve as one of the main antagonists for the Season 1 storyline aside from the Villain Alliance. Just _which_ villain it is however will probably become apparent in a few chapters or so, if not already in the next one.

See you soon.


	4. Midoriya Izuku: The Origin, part 2

**MY HERO ACADEMIA AU - The Spectacular Spider-Deku**

Chapter 4: Midoriya Izuku: The Origin, part 2 — Never meet your Heroes.

* * *

...

For Izuku, everything had turned black for a while.

Then, he slowly started to come back to due the feeling of a large and powerful palm patting against his cheek in quick succession.

« _Pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat._ »

"—ey! Hey! HEY! HE— _Ah?_ OH THANK GOODNESS, YOU'RE OKAY," a booming voice greeted him as its owner ceased the incessant patting.

However, the identity of the smiling man currently looming over him caused Izuku eyes to bug out as he almost blacked out again from the sheer shock alone.

" _Geh?!_ Uwaaaaaahaaaaah!" the startled boy screamed as he scrambled wildly backwards across the floor in surprise.

"AND YOU'RE LIVELY TO BOOT," the man commented at his actions as he raised himself back up to his full height.

The man that had accidentally beaned him with the door and now stood before him turned out to be none other than the person he had been searching for in the first place — the Number One Hero, _All Might_ himself.

Wearing a dark blue spandex uniform with red and white markings, as well as a yellow belt, boots and sleeves, the legendary Hero raised a muscular arm to rub the back of his head as he laughed awkwardly.

"My bad there, youngster. I didn't mean to accidentally knock you flat like that. I just didn't expect there to be anyone else in these hallways right now, you see. Aah-ha-ha-ha-haah."

Izuku however wasn't quite listening, nor did he care much about the lightly bruised nose he'd received from the impact. With his eyes turned into swirling spirals, he was simply sitting agape at the presence of the man before him.

'I-I-It's All Might! T-The number one Hero himself, in the flesh, r-right before me!' the boy geeked out in his head. 'I k-knew it! Watching him on television c-can't even _Compare_ with seeing him in person like this!'

The Hero's great big smile even sparkled dramatically underneath the hallway's light as he looked at him.

"A-Ah, that's right...!" Izuku said as he snapped out of it and quickly started rummaging trough his backpack until he'd produced his Hero Journal notebook. "I-I-If it's not too much trouble," he began as he stood up and held it forwards, "would you p-please grant me the honor of receiving y-y-your autograph?"

"Hah-haa. But of course. It's the least I could do in return for knocking you down like that," the Hero replied as he took the journal and produced a big black marker in his hand from... somewhere. "However... Are you sure you want to use this particular notebook, youngster? Looking at it, it appears to be a little tattered and burnt, doesn't it?"

Izuku's expression faltered a little as he recalled how Katsuki had casually torched it earlier before throwing it away with disdain. However, it was also the only one he had at hand as his older Hero Journals were at home, and all the other books in his bags were strictly school books.

"Y-Yes, it's alright..." the boy said with a slightly forced smile. "It's an important notebook to me, you see."

"Hmm, very well. If you say so."

Seconds later, Izuku was now the ecstatic owner of an autograph written in large, bold letters across two pages, complete with an additional doodle of the Hero's logo.

"Uwaaah! Th-Th-Thank you _so_ very much!" Izuku cried in gratitude while bowing profusely. "I-I'll be sure to treasure it forever! Like a family heirloom!"

" _OKAY!_ You do that, kid!" the Hero gave him a quick thumbs up while stowing away his marker. "Now if you'll excuse me, it is about time for me to appear on stage! I hope you will enjoy the show as well, youngster!"

But as the smiling Hero strode past him in the hallway, Izuku froze in mid-bow and his expression became conflicted. Then, after struggling with himself for a second, he forced himself to push forward with it.

"P-Please, wait!" he called as he turned after the man. "T-There's one more thing I need to ask of you...!"

"I appreciate your dedication, my boy," the man commented as he continued his trek. "But I am really getting quite late and I should—"

"Can... CAN SOMEONE'S WHO'S QUIRKLESS... BECOME A HERO?!"

 _That_ caused the man to halt in his stride.

"C-CAN EVEN SOMEONE BORN WITHOUT A QUIRK... POSSIBLY BECOME LIKE YOU, ONE DAY?"

Turning his head to peer back over his shoulder, the Hero saw that the boy was standing ramrod straight and shaking with his eyes squeezed shut, as if it had taken all the courage he could muster to ask him that particular question.

"Someone who's Quirkless..." All Might repeated softly to himself as the boy started looking timidly down at his feet and continued talking.

"I have no Quirk, so I'm always made fun of by everybody... Actually, that might not be entirely the _only_ reason for it, but..." he admitted quietly as he started twiddling his thumbs. "B-But even still — whatever the reason is for it — I _still_ think saving people like you do is the coolest, most awesome thing ever...!" he said softly, then gradually began to smile. "S-Saving and protecting people while flashing a fearless smile... I... I want to one day become a Legendary Hero like that as well!"

As the boy had looked up and declared that with a fragile but undeniable determination in his eyes, All Might slowly let out a small sigh before turning his head back forward.

"A fearless smile, huh...?" he mused while looking away from the boy. "Youngster... The Hero-biz may seem glamorous at a distance, but the truth of the matter is that every Pro Hero, be they male or female, must be able to carry the burden and determination of being ready to give their all _everyday_ for the sake of upholding justice and protecting the innocent."

"...!"

"Even if it means putting their very own _lives_ on the line," All Might added quietly, as he — unseen by Izuku — allowed a hand to linger over the left side of his own abdomen before he turned around to face the boy fully. "...And that is why, without the edge that possessing a Quirk would give you, however how slight... that I am afraid that I simply _cannot_ in good conscience encourage you to try becoming a Hero even without one."

And with that declaration, Izuku felt the last vestiges of his hopes and dreams shatter.

"I... I see..." the shocked boy muttered stupefied in reply as he looked down with wide and unseeing eyes.

"If you aspire to help others, then there's always the police force," All Might continued as he made his way back the disheartened boy. "Some might demean them, claiming that their only role in today's society is taking Villains that have already been captured by Heroes into custody... But in my eyes, becoming an officer of the law is an occupation that is indeed worthy of praise."

"..."

"I won't denigrate dreaming," the Hero told him as he placed a large hand upon the listless boy's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "But be that as it may, you need to see reality for what it is, young man."

"...!"

As his cell phone started buzzing, All Might gave the boy one final pat on the shoulder before he turned to walk away once more.

"I need to go now, youngster. You'd best get out of here as well, before the mall security catches you trespassing in these corridors."

As he left him behind, Izuku though he could hear All Might sheepishly apologize to the other Hero, Midnight, over the phone, and reassure her that he was on his way now, and that no, he was _Not_ late because he had suddenly gotten a nervous stomach and that she was somewhat rude for suggesting so.

Nevertheless, Izuku remained rooted in place, staring at the floor until the legendary Hero was long gone while biting at his quivering lip.

* * *

" _ **APOLOGIES FOR THE DELAY, EVERYONE!**_ " the booming voice rang out through the mall, causing the chatter among the large audience to immediately die away. " _ **BUT YOUR WAITING IS NOW OVER! '**_ **WHY'** _ **, YOU ASK?**_ "

As they all turned up towards the sixth floor balcony, the Hero could be seen leaping over the edge and into the open air in the middle of the mall.

Even while falling several stories, the man somersaulted through the air and continued undaunted.

" _ **BECAUSE**_ **I...** _ **HAVE... ARRIVED!**_ " he declared as he sailed down and landed dynamically in a crouch upon the large stage on the ground floor, causing it to slightly quake under the impact.

After a second or two, the amazed spectators finally regained control of their vocal cords and broke out as one into a thunderous roar of applause that shook the entire mall, while the great Hero himself stood up and waved at the cheering crowd.

Standing near the front of the crowd, up in front of the stage, even Katsuki was feeling the tension as he broke out into a wild grin at seeing the Hero right before him in person.

Conversely, Izuku was coming down the stairs on one of the higher levels and walked listlessly forwards so he could at least try to glimpse the stage down below between the excited people crowding the railing.

Despite the large screen rigged up behind the stage still showing the Hero clearly, Izuku just couldn't seem to muster up any enthusiasm at the moment as the event went underway.

With a sad and defeated look on his face, the boy quietly leaned against a stone column as he settled to watch the show as best he could, his thoughts a swirling mess.

* * *

Inside the urn of one of the mall's decorative plants, a marble-sized metallic orb that had been laying unnoticed amidst the soil suddenly started to twitch and shake as currents of energy arched across its surface, followed by the large stone urn shattering as the orb suddenly expanded to several times its own size in an instant.

As the startled crowd turned towards the ruckus, dozens of more orbs appeared the same way all throughout the building, shattering columns and flooring and furniture as they emerged out of any errant crack, nook and cranny that had been capable of concealing their presence up until now.

And the instant the metallic spheres appeared, large valves opened across their surfaces and spewed out thick, noxious-looking fumes which caused anyone who breathed it in to quickly collapse into a coughing fit. And due to the orbs' placements all throughout the building, the inside of the entire mall was soon enveloped in the gas, causing the hundreds of people who were there to cough and heave in great discomfort.

But this was only the beginning of the effects of the gas.

"*Cough, cough, cough!* H-Hey, buddy... Are you okay?" someone in the crowd asked as they noticed the person beside them hunch forward and wrap their arm around themselves as their frame shook and convulsed as if having a seizure. But as they tried to approach, the latter gained a glazed look and ominous red glow in their eyes and suddenly proceeded to attack the concerned stranger with an electrical-based Quirk, blasting them straight off their feet.

"Wh-What the?!" a third person exclaimed in shock. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Instead of receiving an answer, the attacker simply snarled in mad rage as they whirled around and blasted _that_ person as well.

Elsewhere in the crowd, a mother who had gained the same red tint in her eyes hugged her convulsing child against her chest while blasting anyone who would try to come near them with her firebreath.

Soon enough there were people all around who had lost control of both their Quirks and their senses as they proceeded to go wild and lash out all around themselves like frenzied animals amidst the densely packed crowds.

Up on one of the balconies, Izuku could only look upon his surroundings with horror and disbelief as the entire mall descended into chaos, turning into a mad battlefield with wanton bursts of elements and energy arching through the air as the people all lost their minds and started attacking one another indiscriminately with their powers.

* * *

Back in the dark room with the large screens, the man from before lay completely collapsed on the ground in a puddle of sweat, breathing the labored breaths of a person who had been forced to push themselves to their limits and beyond.

"Well done. You have performed admirably, my dear friend," the other person in the room calmly congratulated him.

The exhausted man on the floor was preoccupied with trying to stabilize his own breathing, and was therefore unable to pick up upon the quiet mechanical whirr that sounded as a long and thin shadow snaked through the air in an arch and then plunged into his back, stabbing all the way through with a sickening wet crunch and killing him.

"As promised in return, I will not lay a hand upon your family. You can rest easy knowing you have _successfully_ spared them my wrath."

As the crinkled, dirty photograph depicting the man smiling together with his wife and children floated down onto the floor, the shadows on the wall showed the man's limp silhouette dangling in the air before the tentacle that had skewered him flicked him away towards the side of the room. It then retracted back to its source where the mystery man sat in a large chair surrounded by high technological operating panels that he was operating with three additional tentacles that similarly protruded from the man's shadowy figure.

"Now then, the experiment is in-progress," the shadowy figure mused in his seat as he laced his hands together contemplatively. "The end-results should be a spectacle to behold, indeed."

* * *

As the gas had spread throughout the building, it naturally seeped into the shops across the different floors as well, including the pet store that Izuku had been peering into earlier.

While most of the critters inside didn't seem all that dramatically bothered by the strange fumes, one single creature started to violently writhe and convulse within its glass cage after the appearance of the gas.

Then, after slowly gathering its many hairy legs underneath itself once more, a particularly large spider raised itself and looked up with a glowing red tint in its many eyes.

End of chapter 4.

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

And with this chapter, most people familiar with the Spider-man franchise should be able to easily deduce who the villain pulling the strings is.

See you next time.


	5. Midoriya Izuku: The Origin, part 3

**MY HERO ACADEMIA AU - The Spectacular Spider-Deku**

Chapter 5: Midoriya Izuku: The Origin, part 3 — Quirk Rampage.

* * *

In this world, humanity have at present evolved to the point that approximately 80 percent of the planet's population have manifested the superhuman quality referred to under the umbrella term "Quirk".

However, the manifestations of Quirks in _animals_ are extremely rare, with only a relative handful of documented examples the world over so far.

But on this day, as a gas causing Quirk-users to go out of control spread throughout the large shopping mall, one of the seemingly normal animals inside the pet shop proved itself to be susceptible to the gas' effect as well.

As its many eyes gained the same red tint as the other victims of the gas, the large spider's body grew and bulked up until it had nearly doubled in size. It then started trashing wildly in its section of the spider terrarium, hammering itself against the glass-panel separating it from the neighboring pen until its repeated efforts eventually managed to crack and subsequently shatter.

Upon its entrance in a shower of broken glass, the smaller breeds of spiders on the other side instinctively backed up and tried to run away up their webbings — but in the end they were hunted down and hastily devoured one by one as the larger spider worked its way through the terrarium like an unstoppable predator.

And as it claimed more and more victims, splotches of unnatural colors started to grow and spread across its hide while the animal itself gradually expanded even further in mass.

* * *

Outside of the shop, people were going completely wild with their various abilities as the sinister gas had caused just about everyone present to go completely berserk, turning the floors of the giant mall into massive free-for-all battles between hundreds of superpowered individuals.

And the chaos was only escalating.

On the ground floor, where the gathering of people was the thickest, a woman was roughly knocked back across the floor by another person's wind-Quirk until she crashed into the side of a large, decorative fountain. Rather than stay down or at least tend to her wound as blood started trickling down her forehead, the woman only glared back with red-glowing eyes before using her own powers to raise tall columns of water out of the fountain behind her and launch them towards her offender with hydrokinesis, hitting them and several other people in the process.

Elsewhere in the crowd, a high school girl clutched at her head and fell to her knees screaming as she psychically produced a protective whirlwind around herself that pushed and flung away the surrounding masses. Meanwhile, a somewhat gorilla-looking businessman tore open his shirt and jacket and started pounding upon his chest with his massive fists before proceeding to pounce forward and brutally pummel those in his vicinity, acting more like the animal he resembled than the human that he actually was.

All around, madness reigned. But whether the visitors of the mall were engaging in wanton violence against each other or simply discharging their out-of-control powers haphazardly into the surroundings, they all now shared the attributes of possessing glazed over and red-tinted eyes, as well as having been overcome with an overwhelming hostility and aggression paired with a near-complete loss of reason and inhibition.

Whatever this mysterious gas was, or its origins — within _no_ time at all it had seemingly managed to render everyone within the mall into little more than deranged and dangerous beasts.

 _Everyone_ , that is, who happened to possess a Quirk.

" _Uwaah..._ " a voice quietly whinged from where its owner was now hiding at the outskirts of the ground floor. "Oh man. This is just _horrible...!_ "

Keeping his head low to avoid the dangerous attacks and energies being tossed about, Izuku had managed to mostly avoid drawing attention to himself from the frenzied Quirk-users as he'd snuck alongside the walls and down the stairs on his journey down from the upper balconies.

There had been a few close calls where he'd had to franticly dodge an errant power-blast, or when he had been forced to run for his life in order to shake off a pursuer or two until they'd been detained by someone far more eager to fight back than he himself had been — but he had finally made it down to the ground floor with only having received a few superfluous scrapes and scratches in the process.

Diving for cover headfirst down a stairway will do that to you. Luckily, the school backpack he was wearing had served to cushion at least _some_ of it on the way down.

But anyway, now that he was down here he had to be even _more_ careful as next came the task of making his way to the nearest exit without getting himself sucked into the giant battlefield that was spread across the ground floor.

Sticking to the outskirts of the main hall, Izuku kept out of sight by darting from behind pillar to pillar and other various obstructions as he gradually progressed forwards, crawling on his knees to keep out of sight if he had to. But when a particularly large man came crashing backwards through the floor-mounted billboard he was currently crouching behind — courtesy of the sonic scream of a small grade-schooler — the boy panicked and ran out into the open as he made a desperate break for the exit.

'O-Okay! Only a little more to go!' he thought frantically, sliding forward on his knees to duck underneath an errant electric arch from someone's Quirk before quickly getting back up on his feet and continuing running. 'If I keep my head down and just run as fast as I can, I might manage to cut through the remainder of the crowd and get outside before anyone manages to rea—"

A sudden large explosion ahead of him caused the boy to freeze in his tracks. While the blast had served to clear away the portion of the crowd situated between him and the exit, it had also caused part of the wall and interior to collapse, destroying the exit itself.

As the thick smoke started dispersing, Izuku saw that amidst the people that had been haphazardly strewn around and knocked unconscious by the sudden blast, one lone figure stood upright at the epicentre and panting haggardly.

Even with his back turned, Izuku could've recognized the figure a mile away.

" _Kah... Kaccha_ -*mrblg*!" he started calling before he caught himself, slapping his hands over his own mouth.

Unfortunately, the other boy had clearly heard him as he slowly started turning his way in a zombie-like manner, clearly just as affected by the gas as everyone else as his ominous, red-tinted eyes settled upon him.

" _Dhhekhu...!_ " Katsuki's slurred out a deranged snarl as he made out the green-haired boy a short distance away, his expression turning even more manic than before (if such a thing were even possible).

Explosive sparks popped continuously in the blond's palms, and as he slowly started to shamble towards him, Izuku remained frozen in place with his hands over his mouth and wide blood-shot eyes as he knew that he now was well and truly up shit-creak.

'Oouh... Oh _Crud...!_ '

* * *

Up in the pet shop, the shelves filled with various spider-terrariums had all had their glass cages smashed open as the Quirk-spider had consecutively broken into every single one in order to hunt down and devour its inhabitants — a process that seemed to have caused the creature to grow and expand to several times its original size.

But as it stood eating its latest victim, its attention turned towards the front of the store as two maddened humans came crashing in from outside through one of the large display windows.

As the two combatants continued wailing upon each other inside the store, the spider abandoned the nearly hollowed-out carcass it was feeding on in favor of crawling forward to the hole it had shattered in the glass cage to seemingly peer at the humans from its shelf.

But it wasn't the fight itself that interested it.

As the first human, who possessed some manner of armored skin, was knocked onto his back and pounced upon by the second who continued to wail at him with glowing fists, a seemingly invisible energy wafted off of their bodies and arched and coiled through the air like wavy streams as they drifted towards the spider which proceeded to take them into its body.

As the streams poured into it, the splotches of colors on the spider's hide spread out even further while its body simultaneously bulged and expanded, quickly increasing in size to the point that it shattered the small glass cage it was in by straight-out outgrowing its capacity.

As the two humans continued grappling with each other on the floor unawares, the now _cat_ -sized spider crawled along the walls and ceiling to discreetly make it through the store and towards the shattered display window where it quietly proceeded to sneak out into the rest of the mall.

* * *

Back down below, a terrified Izuku was nervously backing up against a stone column before quickly throwing himself to the side as Katsuki slammed his hand forwards and released an explosion that tore straight through the pillar where he'd stood.

As chunks and debris clattered across the floor around him, Izuku scrambled to pick himself back up and quickly start running, knowing that the crazed boy would be immediately on his tail.

'Just like the others in the mall, this gas has made Kacchan completely _lose_ it...!' the boy thought in a cold sweat as he ran for his life. 'If he catches me like this, he'll probably _actually_ KILL me!'

"Dhammit, Dhekhuu! STHOP FHUCKIN' RUNNING AHWAY!"

" _Hiiih!_ " Izuku squeaked as he had to throw himself forward into a roll to avoid another explosion flying overhead from behind.

Though while he managed to dodge the actual blast, the resulting shockwaves knocked the boy further onwards across the floor until he rolled to a stop in the middle of a small portion of the crazed crowd.

The addled and enraged Quirk-users ceased fighting amongst themselves in favor of looming threateningly over the boy that had appeared in their midst, like a pack of wolves baring their fangs against an encircled prey. But even in their current red-hazed state, they were left dumbfounded as the boy quickly pushed off the floor and immediately slipped between their legs like a greased eel before proceeding to run away, seemingly ignoring them entirely.

Blinking briefly in confusion at how surprisingly deftly the fleeing boy had slipped through their fingers, they were about to make chase before an explosion suddenly hit them from behind which sent them flying in all directions like they were little more than rag dolls.

" _DHEKHUU!_ " Katsuki snarled furiously as he came running through the smoke and fumes, leaving the people sprawled and incapacitated across the floor in his wake.

Up ahead, Izuku skidded to a halt as the main portion of the out-of-control crowd blocked off his paths onwards, being far to dense and chaotic to even entertain the notion of trying to weave through it without getting caught in the battle himself. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted Katsuki launch another explosion towards him which forced him to leap off to the side into a narrow hallway where he stumbled and crashed to the floor.

"*Huff, huff* Gotta get up... Gotta keep going...!" he wheezed desperately with sweat pouring down his face as he gingerly pushed himself back up and staggered forwards.

The narrow passageway he was in contained doors leading into the bathroom stalls on the sidewalls, as well as a personnel door sitting at the very end of the corridor, making the boy's spirits rise. However, unlike his luck earlier to access the mall's back corridors, this particular door wouldn't budge no matter how much he tried the handle. He was effectively _trapped_.

"A dead-end?! _Really?!_ " Izuku bemoaned desperately as the door before him remained closed despite his best efforts.

As the poor boy felt like tearing his hair out in frustration, a foot stomped heavily down on the floor a short distance behind him.

"Got... yhuu... Dheku...!" a voice slurred behind him, causing him to stiffly turn his head to see Katsuki hover at the entrance of the corridor, swaying unsteadily on his feet with a deranged and sinister grin on his face. " _NO_ where fhor yhuu to rhun _Nhoww..._ Yhuu shitty Nherd!" he growled through tightly clenched teeth as drool frothed out the side of his mouth.

"K-K-Kacchan!" Izuku called as he whirled around and desperately pressed his back against the wall. "K-Keep back! Please...! You d-don't want to _DO_ this!"

But no matter his pleas, the other boy was clearly beyond reasoning. In his addled, red-hazed state, Izuku didn't think Bakugou could even make out what he was saying to him.

"Dheeekhuuuh," Bakugou growled once more as he started staggering forwards in a threatening manner, his hands continuously producing small, pocket-sized explosions, as like the other people affected, the gas had forced his Quirk to work into overdrive.

But there was another sound accompanying the sparks and pops as he approached. A dull, dripping sound.

Looking closer, Izuku noticed that the boy's hands had become severely bruised and bloodied from the rampant overuse of his ability, spraying droplets of blood upon the floor with each new pop from his explosions. And the boy himself didn't even seem to register any of it.

Izuku came to realize that if this continued, the boy might ruin his hands beyond recovery. With his Quirk channeled through the nitroglycerine-sweat produced in his palms, this could ultimately destroy any chance the boy had of ever becoming a professional Hero like he'd always wanted.

 _...Hmph!_ Perhaps it would serve him _right_ if that happened. This way the other boy would finally get to feel what it was like to live being 'weak' and 'powerless', just like he'd always derided _him_ for being.

'...'

...No. Just _No_. He _couldn't_ think that way! Izuku actually felt ashamed of the fact that he had even _entertained_ the notion, however momentarily.

While his childhood friend _–slash–_ bully admittedly had a rotten personality — as well as anger-issues over a _mile_ wide — Izuku knew better than _anyone_ just how hard the other boy had worked throughout the years aiming with the goal to become a Hero in mind.

The goal that they had once shared together as friends during better days.

And though he honestly wanted nothing else at the moment but to dissolve into a blubbering mess and pray for it all to go away, the boy instead stood firm and clenched his fists, steeling his resolve.

" _Aaah?!_ Whad's with dat look of yhours?" Katsuki craned his head as Izuku suddenly faced the approaching boy with a nervous but determined look in his eyes. "Bastard... Are yhu looking _DHOWN_ on me?!"

"..." Cold sweat ran down his cheek, but Izuku's gaze wouldn't waver.

"Dhekkhuuu~..."

Katsuki leaned his torso forwards as he slowly began to charge.

'Okay, Midoriya. Focus!' Izuku mentally instructed himself. 'You've seen him do this _countless_ times before... '

"Dhekkhuuuuu!" Katsuki continued to pick up speed as the micro-explosions in his palms grew faster and stronger.

'You've fantasized about standing up to him for YEARS, but you've always been too chicken to actually _do_ it!'

"DHEKHUUUU!" Katsuki snarled as he reared his right arm back to deliver a large blast.

' _Here it comes!_ '

"DIEEEEE— _geh?!_ "

Katsuki's war-cry was cut short as the slightly smaller boy suddenly stepped into his charge and grabbed him around the offending arm just as he'd swung it forward, using his own momentum against him to throw him over his shoulder and flat onto his back.

" _ **Gha-haah!**_ " he spat as he impacted harshly against the floor, breaking into a string of coughs as he'd gotten the air knocked out of him.

'It worked!' Izuku thought franticly in triumph as he stood over him. 'It actually Worked! — _But no time to dillydally,_ ' he hastily added.

Sure enough, the crazed boy was tough and was already starting to pick himself back up. Something that _couldn't_ be allowed right now.

"Sorry, Kacchan! This is for your _own_ good!"

"Grrr, hah? _**Khe-Houfh!**_ " the boy barely had time to sit up and turn his head before a fist buried itself into his face.

"Khhh! _TEXAS SMASH!_ " Izuku screamed, mimicking one of his hero's battle-cries as he punched the other boy with all his might and sent him reeling.

Both boy's cried out in pain after that: Katsuki as he smacked down against the floor once more, while Izuku felt like he might have broken something in his hand from the blow.

But even as he cradled his aching fist, Izuku's attention was squarely at Katsuki's twitching form.

'Please stay down, please stay down, please stay down — oh _Please_ stay down.'

With bloodshot eyes and a bruised and bleeding nose, Katsuki gingerly started to stir and raised his torso enough to throw him one last glare... before collapsing flat again on the floor, completely out cold.

"...Oh. Oh, thank God," Izuku breathed as he collapsed onto his knees. He honestly didn't think he could've handled it if the other boy had gotten up again after that.

After letting out a sigh of relief, he was finally free to focus upon the pain in his hand.

"Ow-ow-ow-owww..." he hissed. "I guess _that's_ going to leave a mark..."

"Though your technique may indeed have been amateurish, that was a _fine_ Smash indeed."

At the sound of the newcomer, Izuku whirled around to see none other than the imposing figure of All Might himself towering in the entrance of the corridor while carrying several forms underneath his arms or slung over his massive shoulders.

"A-A-A-A-All M—"

"We meet again, youngster," he told the stammering Izuku as he approached. "I was trying to contain this chaos somewhat by at least subduing the more _destructive_ Quirk-users present when I noticed the series of explosions taking place in this area. I hurried over as fast as the situation allowed me, but I only arrived in time to catch you subduing the boy on your own. A Quirk like his is quite dangerous when out of control and this gas could have made him do something he might've eternally regretted, but you handled the situation masterfully. _Well done!_ "

"I-I-I... I've kinda know him since childhood, so..." Izuku stammered nervously, unable to believe he was actually receiving praise from the great Hero. He then blinked as something occurred to him. "H-Hang on... _You_ 're not affected be the gas, All Might?"

The large man had walked past him and was carefully lying down the unconscious people he'd been carrying at the end of the short hallway as he thought about his answer.

"Hmm, I wouldn't say I'm _completely_ unaffected by it... but for now, I'm managing to grit my teeth and bare it," he grinned and flexed an arm to illustrate his point.

"A-Amazing!" Izuku applauded him. "To be able to withstand a gas aimed at Quirk-users... As expected of the legendary number-one Hero. Such impressive fortitude!"

"Um, yes..." All Might muttered uncomfortably as he proceeded to pick up Katsuki and place him alongside the others. "I guess you could say that."

Privately, the Hero thought that his suspicions concerning the nature of the gas — as well as his own _resistance_ towards it — were more or less confirmed the minute he saw that Izuku remained perfectly fine and unaffected despite the gas' remaining density.

Even still...

"I have already called and informed the authorities about what's happened here," the Hero said while dusting off his hands. "They're already setting up a perimeter around the building to prevent the rampage from spreading until they're fully prepared to deal with the situation inside."

All Might then proceeded to nonchalantly wrench the personnel door open, the lock standing no chance against the Hero's unbelievable strength.

"Hopefully they shouldn't take too long, but _until_ then, you just take cover inside these back corridors while I return into the fray and try to calm down the chaos as best I can."

"What? But there's hundreds of people out there! Even _you_ can't possibly subdue them all on your own while you're forced to hold back your strength against them."

"Even so, I still have to _try_. Thus is my Duty, after all."

"..."

"Keep your head down, and good luck, youngster."

With that he left Izuku behind speechless out of awe as the Hero marched back towards the entrance of the corridor. Taking in the rampant chaos caused by all those innocent people driven out of control by the heinous gas, even All Might felt somewhat overwhelmed for a second by the situation before him before he steeled his nerves and prepared himself to literally leap back into action.

However, just as he was about to push off from the ground, he felt the presence of two small arms wrapping around his midsection from behind.

"All Might, wait!"

Wha—? What are you doing, youngster?!" he called over his shoulder at the boy embracing his midsection. "I know you must be scared, but there are others who need my help as well, and I must—"

"It's not that!" Izuku cut him off as he raised his head to look at him, showing fear, yes, but also determination in his eyes. "I... I have an _idea...!_ I know how you can stop everyone without hurting them...! All in _one_ fell swoop!"

"Wah?" All Might's mighty eyebrows raised upwards. " _Really_ , my boy?!"

Izuku replied back at him with a curt nod.

* * *

While the rampage between the affected Quirk-users in the main hall continued, multicolored streams of energy unseen to the human eye rose up from the different combatants and arched up into the air — coiling and twisting around each other like a rainbow-colored typhoon which rose all the way up to the very top of the building where the Quirk-spider had perched itself upon the ceiling, high, high above it all.

Sitting nearly perfectly safe from being drawn into the dangerous chaos down below, it took the unseen, passively emitted energies that radiated from all that active Quirk-usage and drew them up directly into itself — the strands and streams of energy feeding continuously into its body, making its hide and even some of its physical features turn only more and more unnatural the more it absorbed.

And through it all, the contours of its body bulged and flexed as its overall size grew larger and larger still.

End of chapter 5.

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

Okay, we're approaching the conclusion to this storyline. Things are finally about to come to a head.

The chaos inside the mall was a bit of a headache to write, so hopefully this chapter doesn't come off as too messy and confusing to read. Please let me know what you thought.

And hey, Bakugou got _whopped_. I'm SURE that won't have any kind of repercussions down the line...


	6. Midoriya Izuku: The Origin, part 4

**MY HERO ACADEMIA AU - The Spectacular Spider-Deku**

Chapter 6: Midoriya Izuku: The Origin, part 4 — Bitten.

* * *

Moments later, All Might was back in the middle of the frenzied crowd in the main hall, subduing some of the more destructive Quirk-users he came across with ultra-light karate-chops to the backs of their necks while he waded through the masses and continuously craned his head back and forth as he scanned around for something or someone in particular.

The gas permeating the air made it difficult to make things out at a very long distance, but after some careful scouting he finally discovered what he'd been looking for up above upon the 6th story balcony. After absentmindedly knocking out and laying down a crazed civilian who'd tried to attack him while the Hero's gaze had been fixed upwards, All Might bent forward and pushed off the ground in a mighty leap — ricocheting off of the 4th story balcony on the other side of the big hall like a pinballing rocket before arriving and vaulting over the railing on the 6th, landing purposely a certain distance away from where his target happened to be.

Standing at the end of a long pile of unconscious bodies, this person was not just any Quirk-user, but a professional Hero in her own right who had also fallen under the influence of the sinister gas, and was now using her super-charged Quirk to go on a rampage just like the other victims. As everyone in her wake had already been completely incapacitated due to the nature of her Quirk, All Might's arrival upon the otherwise inactive balcony immediately caught her attention despite his distance.

Seeing the black-haired woman whirl around and send him a crazed, red-eyed glare through her domino-mask, All Might recalled his conversation with the Quirkless boy from earlier...

 **Flashback:**

"Ms. Midnight, you say?"

"Yeah, s-she was part of the security of this event, right? Her Quirk allows her to knock unconscious anyone who inhales the sleep-inducing aroma she can exude from her body, making her perfectly suited for dealing with violent crowds. With her help, you should be able to stop this rampage in _no_ time!"

All Might though, looked dubious.

"Hmm, but if she's fallen victim to the gas like everyone else in the mall, it's unlikely she'll be willing to aid us..."

"That doesn't really matter," Izuku interjected with a surprisingly cunning little smile on his face. "As long as she's actively releasing her Quirk into the air, that's all we need. What _you_ need to do, All Might, is see to it that she covers a _larger area_ with it...!"

 **End flashback:**

'Youngster, you're a shrewd one,' All Might thought as he readied himself.

At the other end of the balcony, the woman in question appeared to have ripped several tears across her already quite-revealing outfit during her rampage, most likely in order to increase the amount of exposed skin releasing the sleep-inducing aroma of her Quirk into the open air as there wasn't a single scratch on her otherwise.

Cracking her whip, Midnight then proceeded to stalk forwards to try and get him inside her Quirk's effective range, prompting the male Hero to take in a large gulp of air and hold his breath before shooting forwards like a bullet towards her.

With one hand securely clamped over his lower face, All Might caught the woman over his free arm and continued onwards at inhuman speeds — carrying her along with him over his shoulder as he circled all the way around the entire balcony-floor and caused any stragglers they'd pass to drop like dominoes after getting a whiff of the aroma left in their wake.

Racing down the stairs, All Might then repeated the process on the descending levels one-by-one all the way down to the ground floor — zigzagging through the throngs of out-of-control civilians like a rocket in his mission to expose every single individual in the mall to the sleep-inducing aroma produced by the woman over his shoulder.

Finally, after shooting back and forth through the main hall nearly a dozen times, the Hero finally skidded to a halt and turned to survey the suddenly near-silent mall, marred only by the cacophony of snores coming from the hundreds of bodies now slumped everywhere around him and on the balconies above.

Turning his attention to the snarling woman that'd been squirming futilely in his grip all this time, All Might delivered a quick chop to the back of her neck to quiet her down as well. And once he was certain she was no longer emitting her Quirk, the Hero quickly waved any potential residue away before finally allowing himself to give a sharp exhale, followed by a deep inhale.

" _Gaaaasp_ , *cough, cough, cough*! Aaaahh! That's better...!" he spluttered while droplets of sweat ran down his cheek after the great exertion

Once he had his breath back under control, All Might carefully stepped out of the sea of strewn bodies and carefully placed the woman down on an unoccupied (and mostly intact) wooden bench before turning his head to look at the middle-school boy who was quietly approaching him from where he'd been taking cover.

"Um, wow...! Did you really manage to get _all_ of them?" Izuku asked incredulously as he lowered the handkerchief he'd been holding over his mouth and nose up until now, just in case, as he looked around the mall.

"Ha-hah. Do not worry, youngster. I traversed every corner of this place to make sure everyone received a whiff of Ms. Midnight's Quirk and quietly went down for the count. Truly, things might have turned out much worse if not for her presence. I'll need to make sure she receives the proper accolades for the part she played here today."

Izuku produced a small nod in agreement as they both looked down at the unconscious female Hero.

"...And I need to do the same for _you_ as well," All Might suddenly continued, turning his way. "We couldn't have done it without your input either, my boy," he grinned and gave a thumbs up, causing the young boy to once again break out into his nervous jitters.

"I-I-I-I didn't do anything special," he immediately denied while fidgeting. "R-really, it was all you, All Might. Yeah, y-you really are amazing."

"Nonsense. Your plan worked _perfectly_."

"I-I wouldn't really call it a _'plan'_ , as such... It w-was just an idea that struck me... Though," the boy suddenly seemed to switch gears: "I've read that Midnight's Quirk supposedly works better on men than women... Hopefully the effect will still last long enough for the authorities to arrive and get the entire area under control first... Aaah, I hope that they hurry. Oh. In the meantime we should probably check the crowd for serious injuries. Some of them might have gotten badly hurt during the chaos and be in need of tending. We should probably split up in order to cover more ground more efficiently. I—"

As the boy stood with a hand on his chin in an analytical manner and mumbled and muttered under his breath at an increasingly rapid pace, the professional Hero looked at him drone on with a raised eyebrow before shaking his head with a chuckle.

Truly, this kid was something else. He may act as skittish as a nervous hamster overdosed on caffeine, but from what he'd seen here, All Might had to admit that the boy both had brains and heart. He might not be able to ever become the particular sort of hero he'd always wanted to be, but the Top Hero felt that the boy was someone who could provide a difference even _without_ a Quirk, and wanted to tell him so he could perhaps realize that for himself as well.

But as he was about to reach out for the boy and try to relight some of the embers he was forced to almost callously trample upon earlier, his vision suddenly went blurry and became tinted red for a second.

Hearing the great Hero let out a pained groan snapped Izuku out of his ramblings to see the man stagger unsteadily to lean against a stone column and place a hand over his face while trying to steady his breathing.

"A-All Might? W-what's wrong?!"

'Shit! A delayed reaction?!' the Hero thought as he peered trough his fingers with unfocused eyes while sweating profusely. 'This isn't good... It seems that the gas is finally getting to _me_ as well...!'

Glancing down at the concerned boy who was calling out to him, All Might realized he couldn't hear his voice past the thundering of his own heartbeat, and his vision was erratically changing and contorting, transforming the figure before him into something dark and nightmarish that he felt he needed to defend himself from... That he needed to _destroy_.

His muscles tightened and the stone column started cracking under his grip, but as the startled boy flinched away from him, All Might regained his senses long enough to see the monstrosity for the scared child that he really was and the Hero grabbed hold of himself — both figuratively and literally — in order to restrain his impulses from going berserk like the others in the mall had.

"A-All Might..."

' _Khhh!_ I guess I don't have a choice, huh? God dammit...!'

Frightened and concerned that the great (and unstoppable) Hero was finally falling victim to the nefarious gas as well, Izuku watched as plumes of smoke suddenly started trailing off of All Might's body one by one, followed by the Hero shrinking and shrivelling up before his very eyes until what was left was but a lanky skeleton of a man wearing an oversized superhero-costume as he stood there panting heavily.

As one would expect, the boy's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull at the sight.

"Eh? EH? _Eeeeeeeeeh?!_ "

"Please calm down, youngster. *Cough, cough*" the emaciated-looking man told him in a dull and tired voice as he hunched forward and coughed into his fist. "My head is pounding enough as it is."

"Bu-But... But what happened to you?!" Izuku cried with disbelief. "Ah. Was it the gas?! Did the _gas_ do this to you?!"

"*Cough* Yes... and no. The gas was _indeed_ starting to affect my mind like the others, so I needed to power down to ensure I wouldn't run amuck and do something horrible with my strength before it was too late."

As if to punctuate that statement, the column he'd cracked earlier under his fingers chose that moment to shatter and completely collapse behind them.

"..."

"Fortunately, the act of doing so appears to have returned me to my senses as well..."

Looking over this figure, from his slim stature to his mouth dribbling with blood, Izuku still couldn't wrap his head around what he was seeing.

"You 'powered down'..." he muttered, pondering the Hero's phrasing. "Are you saying that t-this is your _true_ form?"

"*Cough* In a manner of speaking... Due to a grievous injury I received a few years ago that destroyed my stomach, as well as half of my respiratory organs... _this_ is what I've been reduced to, and I can now only bring my full strength out to bear for a few hours a day..." he wheezed as he momentarily lifted his shirt to showcase said injury, making the boy flinch back in horror the sight. Even though it had obviously been surgically treated, it still looked like the man had at one point been gutted and had his guts scooped out by hand... ..which may or may not have been literally what had happened.

To think that the man was still able to function at all with such a heinous wound was nothing short of mind-boggling.

As these kind of thoughts whirled through Izuku's head, he was jolted from his stupor as the man slowly continued.

"But society still needs its 'symbol of peace', so I've done my best to hide this fact from the world at large so that my presence can continue to deter evil and inspire the next generation of Heroes..." he sighed as he tucked back his shirt. "And so I've soldiered on, all the while wearing a brilliant smile to showcase the might of Heroes... as well as to distract myself from my own crippling fears and anxieties..."

"..."

" _That_ is why it's important that you keep this discovery to yourself, my boy," the lanky man declared vehemently as he came forth and grasped the boy's shoulder. "We've come a long way, but at this point in time our society is still at a crucial stage... And if people were to find this out... If _Villains_ were to learn of this... Then the world order as we know it might crumble and tear itself apart. That absolutely _cannot_ be allowed that to happen! Do you _understand_ , youngster?"

"I... I..." Izuku stammered unsurely under the weight of the man's piercing blue gaze.

But as their sudden proximity forced the boy to crane his neck upwards in order to face the man currently towering over him, this position coincidentally allowed him to glimpse something past the man's head as a large monstrous shadow emerged into view through the gas several stories above while descending quickly towards them.

"!"

"Hm? What's the matter, my boy?" All Might asked, noticing how the boy had suddenly stiffened.

* * *

As it had been clinging to the ceiling all the way at the very top of the building, the Quirk-spider's mysterious ability had allowed it draw in enough energy from the crowd below to expand itself to outright monstrous proportions. But as everyone in the mall had suddenly been rendered unconscious, that well of nourishment had also been abruptly cut off, leaving behind only two active figures left at the ground floor.

And with no more Quirk-energy being exuded, the monster spider had decided to go feed directly at the source, starting with the only Quirk-user who was still standing.

* * *

And so it was as it lunged down towards its prey — trailing thread and with its giant fangs bared — that Izuku managed to see it, _just_ in time to react instinctively.

" _L-Look out!_ " he screamed as he shoved the lanky man out of the way of the monster's strike, causing himself to end up directly in its path instead as it barrelled him down and onto his back while burying its venom fangs deep into his neck and shoulders.

" _Y-Youngster!_ " an aghast All Might called from where he'd been pushed as the spider the size of a car had pounced down upon the boy in front of him.

"Aaah- _AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!_ " Izuku screamed at the top of his lungs as the monster had pierced his flesh and was now pumping its venom into him, lighting his insides on fire with a horrendous pain.

But it didn't get to go on for long, as behind the spider, All Might had collected himself back off the floor and quickly forced himself to transform back into his muscular Hero-form — ignoring the pain and ill-effects both his condition and the gas caused him to feel.

"YOU! GET OFF OF HIM!" he yelled as he leapt towards it with an arm craned backwards. " _ **TEXAS SMASH!**_ "

With a powerful punch burying itself deep into its gut, the giant spider-monster's body rippled with energy as the shockwave from the blow travelled through it before it was sent virtually flying off its prey and into the air.

However, to the Hero's great shock and surprise the spider managed to correct itself and land back on its legs, skidding to a halt backwards across the floor.

"I-Impossible," All Might nearly gaped at the sight. "It weathered it? ...No, it _absorbed_ it!"

Indeed, that seemed to be the case as the monster's body was crackling with arcs of energy and starting to grow even _larger_ in size once more.

But unlike the energy it had absorbed thus far, the force and energy from All Might's direct blow was simply too much too fast for it to absorb successfully, and parts of its body began to bulge and bloat excessively until it's exoskeleton started to rupture and spew out streams of blood and mucus.

Convulsing and curling in on itself, the entire thing then proceeded to literally explode outwards — showering its surroundings in a spray of monstrous goo and gore, as well as long, hairy limbs clattering across the floor.

Releasing a sigh of relief at seeing that the threat was dealt with after all, All Might quickly turned his attention to the injured boy who was clutching at his wounds and screaming continuously while writhing wildly on the floor in pain.

"*Cough, caff* My boy, speak to me!" he called as he knelt down and cradled him, uncaring of the blood spraying over his own lips as he talked. "Are you alright?! Please! Answer me!"

The boy in his arms was still screaming by the time gas-mask equipped Heroes and police forces finally arrived and managed to make their way into the building.

End of chapter 6.

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

And so the fated incident comes to pass, leaving Izuku with a lovebite that will change the course of his life.

Next time the epilogue, as we finally return to the scene back at the hospital.


	7. Midoriya Izuku: The Origin, part 5

**MY HERO ACADEMIA AU - The Spectacular Spider-Deku**

Chapter 7: Midoriya Izuku: The Origin, part 5 — Conclusion.

* * *

Thanks to All Might's actions as well as the quick response by the authorities, Heroes that could gather up or neutralize the gas inside the mall were quickly summoned, allowing the paramedics and those assisting them to freely tend to the numerous victims on the spot.

While the gas itself was determined to have no long-lasting effect on those that had inhaled it, many people still had to be hospitalized due to things ranging from extreme fatigue by overusing their Quirks, or injuries sustained by themselves or others during the chaos. Thanks to the work of some of the country's most esteemed doctors, many of which possessing Quirks that allowed them to either heal or treat their patients with extreme efficiency, there were ultimately no fatalities. However, there was sadly still a good number of victims who would remain scarred after this ordeal, either physically and/or mentally.

But even these renowned medical experts and healers were at a loss for how to deal with Midoriya Izuku's case, who despite their best efforts remained tossing and screaming for hours on end as the mutated poison continued ravaging through his system. In the end, the most they could do was try to keep him sedated and stable while his body tried to ride out the effects, resulting in several nerve-racking days for poor Inko waiting at the hospital as her son continued to linger precariously on the boundary between life and death.

But while things were touch-and-go for a good while, the odds for the boy's survival were finally starting to look more promising... only for the crash team rushing to respond to an alarm from his room one day to find a large spider-web cocoon suspended over the bed where their patient used to be.

After much careful examination and deliberation, it was concluded that the patient's body inside had started to adapt itself and evolve in order to survive the poison, and so the safer option was to leave the cocoon be for the time being after transferring it to a higher security wing of the hospital where it could be even more closely monitored in case of whatever eventuality, be they good or bad.

And like that, months passed — which finally brings us back to the **present**...

* * *

Absentmindedly tracing his fingers over the faint fang-marks left underneath his collar, Izuku had an uncertain expression on his face as he quietly regarded the emaciated and gangly man kneeling before him.

"I pride myself on being the 'Symbol of Peace'... The 'Number One Hero'..." Toshinori Yagi sighed in a self-deprecatory manner, his quiet and lethargic voice so very different from his boisterous All Might persona. "But on that day, the one who truly saved everyone — including myself in my moment of weakness — was none other but a Quirkless young boy. The very same boy that I had earlier told could never become a Hero..."

"..."

The man shook his head.

"Despite trampling upon your dream, you still went as far as to put your life on the line to save mine. It was a thoroughly humbling experience... And I swore to myself that if given the chance... If you successfully recovered... then I would do my _very_ best to repay this dept I owe, one way or another..." he solemnly declared before reaching for something inside his jacket. "Starting with returning _this_..."

" _Ah?_ T-That's..." Izuku said in realization as the Hero pulled out an unmistakable, tattered notebook.

"I discovered your 'Hero Journal' lying on the floor after the paramedics hurried carting you off from the mall," Toshinori Yagi explained as he handed it towards the boy. "I suppose you lost it back when you were attacked by that monstrously huge spider, and so I've been safeguarding it up till now, where I am finally able to return it to its rightful owner."

After nervously receiving it in hand, Izuku had immediately started leafing through the journal's pages to verify its state and contents. While the tattered journal seemed no more worse for wear than it been originally, the boy quickly came to a halt as something else stood out to him.

"Th... This is..."

"Ah, yes... That," Toshinori slightly smirked as the boy had already discovered the unexpected additions to his journal. "While it was in my care, I took the liberty of asking if Ms. Midnight was willing to write down her signature for you as well. However, once she got involved, things sort of snowballed from there..."

That was putting it mildly. Some of the latter and previously blank pages of the journal were now scrawled full with various names written in different styles, fonts and sizes: all of them being personal autographs belonging to renowned Pro-Heroes, the elite of the Elite.

Even someone like Mountain Lady, who'd been a relative newcomer at the Hero-scene back before he'd been hospitalized had signed her name in the journal, right after Deathgoro and Kamui Woods (the latter having his modest autograph partially obscured by her larger and more flamboyant signature).

Seeing the boy make his way through the pages with a mesmerized look on his face as he made certain to read over every single signature, Toshinori released a soft hum.

"Hm. I hope I wasn't acting out of turn using your notebook this way, youngster..."

"I... I don't know what to say..." the astonished boy said as he returned to the original autograph he had received before looking up with a smile at the one who had signed it in the first place. "...Thank you, All Might. Thank you so _much_ ," Izuku told him, clutching the journal to his chest as tears of gratitude threatened to spill from his eyes. "I... I can't even _begin_ to describe how much this means to me... I'll treasure it, always."

The other occupants of the room smiled serenely at the boy's genuinely heartfelt expression while the Hero in question gave him a curt nod in return.

"No, no. It was the least I could do," he assured him, pleased that his gift had gone over well. "As All Might, I originally tried to hand it over to your mother back when you were first hospitalized... But after informing her of the role you'd played that day, she instead convinced me to hang onto it until I could one day return it to you in _person_. ...It seems it was a good thing she did, as the months I kept it in my safekeeping allowed me to collect quite a number of signatures."

"I... I see," Izuku nodded as he wiped his moist eyes, surprised by his mother's involvement in this. "Um... I hope it wasn't too much of a hassle for you... taking care of this thing."

"No, not at all," the Hero scoffed good-naturedly before turning sideways with a hand on his chin in ponderous thought. "In fact, it was a privilege. It truly was an amusing piece of work you've compiled there."

...Suddenly, you could've heard a pin drop in the room.

"... _Eh?_ " Izuku sat frozen as his one visible eye beneath his grown-out hair had widened in surprise. "Y-You've... You mean you've _read_ through it?"

" _Ah,_ " the Hero twitched. "Was I not allowed to?"

"Nnnn-Nononono-nono, t-that's not it," Izuku jabbered nervously before looking away timidly. "I-It's just notes I make on Heroes and Quirks as a hobby... B-but I'm sure they m-must all seem so juvenile in the eyes of an authentic Hero like yourself..."

"Hm, not at all. In fact, I found its contents to be quite intriguing. Don't you think so as well, Principal Nedzu?"

"Why, yes. That journal of yours made for a very interesting read."

" _THE U.A. PRINCIPAL'S READ IT TOO?!_ " Izuku freaked out even further. " _W-Why?!_ Why would you go and show it to-"

«Konk- _Konk._ »

"Ow!"

"Ouch!"

"Calm down, lad," Doctor Shuuzenji sighed as she retrieved her cane after giving Izuku a light bonk on the head with it. "All Might didn't show your notebook to us merely as a jest."

"... So you've read it as well, Doctor," Izuku whined weakly while rubbing his sore scalp.

"By the way, why did you hit _me_ as well just now?" Toshinori inquired lowly.

"The truth of the matter is that he wanted us to judge your potential for a possible enrolment at U.A."

"...Um, are you ignoring me?"

"Enrolment? B-Based on my journal?" Izuku repeated in amazement, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"Indeed. The theories and analytical studies within regarding Heroes and their Quirks were quite insightful and well put-together," the principal said, taking a brief sip of his tea before continuing. "You possess a undeniable talent for analyzing and deducing a Quirk's strength and weaknesses, as well as thinking up potential and quite imaginative ways that they could be utilized. These qualities of yours are something that would be well-appreciated at our school."

"E-Eh..?"

At Izuku's weak and rather dumbfounded reaction, the rodent-like principle decided to elaborate.

"Leaving aside the department of Heroics and gen. ed. for now, there's the _department of Management_ where the students are educated to handle the bureaucratic and public relation aspects of Hero Offices and the Hero industry... And then there's also the _department of Support_. While it's mostly oriented towards the youths who will one day develop and maintain the gear and other supportive apparatuses for students and Pro-Heroes alike, there's a growing logistics division as more and more Heroes have started to realize the importance of having someone monitoring the situation from a distance who's capable of providing them valuable intel as well as strategic advice while they're out in the field," he explained. "Not unlike how you gave All Might the idea and method for how to handle the incident at the mall without having to resort to harming any of the numerous victims of the gas."

"..."

As the boy remained silent, Doctor Shuuzenji sighed as she leaned back, supporting her head with her arm on her desk.

"Lad, did you never even _consider_ the options of applying for any of those departments before, back when you were Quirkless?"

"Huh? Uh, no. Not really..." he admitted as he seemed to be distracted with his own thoughts. "I... I'm ashamed to say it, but I guess the thought never really occurred to me..."

Throughout his life, all anyone had told him was what he COULDN'T become, after all...

" _Tsk_. Talk about a one-track mind, lad," the little old doctor snorted while supporting her head with her arm propped up on her desk. "Honestly, what in the world are the middle school teachers and guidance councillors _doing_ these days..." she then hissed in clear distaste.

Seeing that Izuku's head was obviously swimming as he tried to comprehend these influential peoples' positive words and attitudes towards him, Toshinori Yagi shot to his feet in front of him in order to clearly set the stakes.

"This was one of the ways I intended to repay you for everything you did that day... For you, a Hero-otaku who's always dreamed of becoming a Hero yourself despite lacking a Quirk, these departments were — and _still are —_ both reasonable, as well as admirable alternate routes that you could choose to take instead," he declared, managing to project a little of the bombastic energy associated with his other, more muscular form.

"..." All Might was right, Izuku thought. Even if he wouldn't be the one doing the fighting or rescuing, these might be good ways he could contribute to the Hero-society.

Even if he himself didn't become a Hero, he could still help make a difference.

But still...

" _However_ , the situation has changed!" the man suddenly continued, startling the boy out of his reverie and pointing a finger at his face as he towered over him. "Against all odds, you've somehow managed to come out of this with a Quirk of your _own._ Now that the fates have granted you this opportunity, will you not try to seize it with all your might and run towards your _true dream_ once more?"

"!"

As Izuku stiffened at All Might's dramatic declaration, the proud stance the Hero had assumed was eventually ruined as the little old doctor gave him a good thwack over his leg.

"Ow!"

"I already told you earlier not to push the boy too much too quickly, you humongous moron!"

"Ah, I'm sorry," Toshinori admitted as he hopped in place while cradling his sore leg. "I got a little carried away again, I guess."

"There's nothing 'little' about it!"

«Thwack!»

"Ouch! _AGAIN?!_ And my _other leg_ this time?!"

"You don't have to decide right away, Midoriya-kun," Principle Nedzu assured the young boy from his seat. "What department you want to apply for, or even if you want to study at U.A. _at all_ — it can all wait until you've completed your basic rehabilitation. Either way, our offer will still..."

The principle suddenly trailed off, causing the other two adults to turn to see that the boy sat with his head hunched forward, and that his hands resting upon his knees were balled up into shaking fists.

"...Midoriya, my boy," Toshinori attempted, but before he could approach him, the boy started speaking in a shaking voice.

"I...! Do... Do you _really_ think that I..." he gargled out as drops of liquid started falling from somewhere underneath that unruly mop of hair onto the pants of his hospital pajamas. "That someone like _me_ could become a Hero...?!"

As the boy's shoulders started shaking as well, Toshinori took a measured breath as he collected himself.

"Youngster... Despite your timidness... Despite your Quirklessness and understandable fear back at the mall, there's _no_ denying the fact that we were all saved thanks to you... The victims of the gas, as well as myself when you leapt forward and shielded me from that spider's attack in my weakened state. Despite being just a scared, powerless middle-schooler, you demonstrated both the brains as well as the _heart_ worthy of nothing less but a Top Hero."

"... _*Khc!*_ " Izuku shuddered in his seat as he attempted to choke back a sob.

"Whether you wish to support pro Heroes in the field with your analytical mind, or pair it together with your new-found abilities to fight injustice with your own hands, there is no doubt in my mind that you can provide a great difference to those in need of aid out there."

The boy was now clutching desperately at the front of his shirt as he tried to restrain himself before the man's arm settled down upon his shaking shoulder. And as he finally raised his head back up, revealing that he was now crying tears freely from all eight of his eyes, Izuku saw that despite the man's current emaciated state, the intense weight and glow in Toshinori's piercing blue eyes spoke volumes of the fact that no matter his appearance, the man before him was still undoubtedly the Hero of Heroes, All Might himself.

"So to answer your question, youngster," Toshinori spoke with a calm gravitas and determination, "You can indeed be a Hero. I am _certain_ of it!"

And that was the final straw...

Grimacing in a futile last attempt to hold everything back, Izuku then fell forward onto his knees as he cried his heart out on the floor, emotionally overwhelmed from not only having his dream acknowledged for the first time in his entire life, but by none other than his idol no less.

As Toshinori calmly consoled the crying boy by kneeling down and maintaining the presence of his hand on his shoulder, the doctor and the principal closed their eyes with quiet smiles on their faces.

* * *

Not long afterwards, Izuku's mother had barrelled her way back towards and into the room as Izuku's crying had naturally proven to carry all the way outside, the woman only barley missing to see the form of Toshinori Yagi as the startled Hero managed to transform back into All Might at the very last second.

After finally managing to collect himself enough to reassure her that he was crying from happiness and not sorrow, Inko was filled in on the basic details by the principal and proceeded to embrace her boy in a tight, motherly hug as Izuku then became the one who had to console his mother instead.

After allowing the Midoriya-family to have their moment together, Principal Nedzu informed the pair that he would leave the boy in the care of the diminutive female doctor for now and take his leave so that he could return to his work at U.A., as well as start making the necessary preparations for Izuku's suggested rehabilitation-program. Promising to contact them again in a few days time, he made to exit the room with a slightly dishevelled All Might in tow whose heart was still racing at being nearly exposed, but not before Izuku managed to give the both of them deep bows of gratitude for everything they were doing for him.

Later, as the two trekked down the hallway, the small rodent-man smiled up at his companion.

"You've certainly gone and lit a fire in that boy now, All Might," he noted good-naturedly. "I hope you're prepared to take responsibility for it and follow this through."

"Mrhn. Not to worry," All Might grunted as he wiped a trail of blood running down his chin. "Not only do I plan to periodically check in on the progress of his rehabilitation, but as promised, I will accept your terms to take up a teaching position at the school starting next semester."

The principal gave a slight nod.

"Hn. While I wish you'd have come over a little more willingly, I'm glad you've _finally_ seen the merit of my proposal," he noted with a light sigh. "While having you contribute to directly guiding the next generation of Heroes is a welcome bonus, offering you this position at U.A. was mostly made with your benefit in mind, you know."

"Y-Yes... I am aware..." All Might sighed in a defeated tone. "...Our deal aside though, I'm still grateful for all your assistance concerning young Midoriya."

"Don't think about it," Nedzu waved him off. "Like you, I also see the possible potential hidden in that boy, both regarding his character as well as this new Quirk of his."

"Yes... To think that that monster somehow managed to bestowed upon him the one thing he desired the most..." the Hero mused in a distant tone. "While I'm indeed happy for the boy, I must however admit that I'm also a little... disappointed."

Seeing the way the Hero was studying his own raised fist in thought, the principle hummed knowingly.

"I see... I suspected as much," he noted in a hushed voice. "So you really WERE planning to offer him the chance to be your successor..."

"Perhaps..." All Might admitted quietly, lowering his fist. "But there's no telling how the unnatural Quirk he has now could correspond with something like 'One for All', so it's probably best to consider that that ship has sailed. ...No matter how much of a shame it might be."

"Hmm, yes... It might be quite a shame indeed," Nedzu could help but agree. "But successor or not, we still need to do our very best to ensure his safety and well-being."

"Yes," All Might agreed, his tone turning more grave. "Due to the circumstances regarding the creation of his Quirk, there's likely some who'd see the boy as nothing but a curious and intriguing research-specimen to be contained and analyzed in a lab somewhere... And even more worryingly are the dark forces in this world who would want to exploit whatever they could gleam from his mutation for their own selfish and nefarious means."

"Indeed. That is why we must try to keep the true nature of the boy hidden from the general public. At the very least until such a time when he's capable of defending himself by his own power."

"Yes, that's right..." the Hero nodded and once more clenched his fist. "The boy deserves to live a life of his own choosing. And I will protect his right to do so with _all_ that I have. This I swear!"

* * *

At an undisclosed location, a telephone receiver stationed in a larger console-panel started ringing, until shortly, a clawed, metallic tentacle picked it up and brought it to the side of a man's head.

"Yes?" the person said expectantly before then humming in interest as the individual on the other end spoke. "I see... So not only has the 'subject' finally emerged, but as the preliminary studies suggested, he's now in possession of an artificially developed Quirk? Yes... Very interesting indeed," the man smiled while rubbing his chin with a normal human hand. "Continue to keep me posted."

As the tentacle withdrew with a mechanic whirr to return the receiver, the man started typing away with both human and metallic appendages, bringing up a series of documents and photographs on the large computer console before him — among others things being classified government studies upon the Quirk-spider's messy remains, hacked hospital-files and even a picture of Izuku's web-cocoon from where it was kept under observation in the fortified wing of the hospital.

Finally, there was a saved news-article where the headline read _'Quirkless middle-schooler helps Top Heroes save the day!'_

" _'Midoriya Izuku'_ , huh?" the man mused as a school ID photo of the unassuming boy popped up on screen. "While my 'experiment' may not have performed completely to specifications, yours is a most _spectacularly_ intriguing side-effect..."

Drumming his fingers together, he chuckled lowly.

"One that bears further study..."

End of chapter.

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

This chapter was surprisingly difficult to write, but I hope the result was something with at least a _little_ gravitas to it. I tried to invoke the feel of the end-scene of episode 2 while putting the story's own spin on it, but I dunno if any of that successfully came across though.

Next we skip forward a bit to Izuku in the middle of his rehabilitation-program at U.A. as he struggles to get accustomed to his new powers, as well as the cold-blooded teacher assigned to him (and no, I'm not referring to Aizawa-sensei).


	8. Reptiles on Campus, part 1

**MY HERO ACADEMIA AU - The Spectacular Spider-Deku**

Chapter 8: Reptiles on Campus, part 1.

* * *

His silhouette slowly coming into view through the thick morning fog, the young boy known as Midoriya Izuku staggered forwards as he hurried on his way down the quiet and deserted streets.

The city around him was partly in shambles as if some great battle had taken place here, forcing the boy to leap over rubble and bypass craters in the road as he ran. And no matter where he turned there wasn't a single soul in sight, giving his surroundings all the feelings of an abandoned ghost-town.

However, with the way the boy still kept franticly glancing around and back over his shoulders through the large and shaggy mop of hair that covered half of his face, it was clear that _Izuku_ at least didn't believe himself to be alone in this place.

 _There._ Down a narrow alleyway to the right, the shadow of a predatory figure could be seen quickly leaping past the gap on the other side of the buildings, as if stalking his movements.

Having caught a glimpse of his pursuer, Izuku quickly veered in the opposite direction and headed down a side road to his left. Due to the poor visibility created by the morning fog, he eventually came to realize that he was heading down a dead-end street, with damaged buildings blocking off any further paths. However, rather than stopping or turning back the way he'd come to look for another route, Izuku ran steadfast toward the building coming into view at the end of the road. As he grew closer, he suddenly before performed a superhuman leap forwards through the air, touching down briefly atop a wrecked car sitting in his path before immediately skipping onwards to the top of a streetlight, and from there on towards the building itself.

Sailing through the air in an arc, Izuku then coupled his augmented strength with the spider-like adhesive ability in his hands and feet to cling directly to the vertical surface as he deftly landed two floors or so off the ground. Not taking any time to rest though, the boy immediately proceeded to scale the rest of the building with his new abilities — and while slightly slipping and misstepping once or twice, it wasn't long at all before he had managed to traverse its facade all the way to the top.

But as he was about to climb up over the edge, the sounds of distant but quickly approaching footsteps caused him to look back towards the road below to see his pursuer approaching through the fog — the outline of a long, thick tail swaying behind their form as they ran.

Not interested in staying around any longer than he had to, Izuku quickly hoisted himself up onto the rooftop and ran straight across to the other side where he leapt down onto the adjoining building. Proceeding onwards across the uneven city rooftop-terrain at a steady clip thanks to his superhuman jumping and climbing capabilities, he eventually reached a point where the next rooftop in his path was all the way on the other side of a street.

Knowing his pursuer was undoubtedly growing closer by the second, Izuku swallowed nervously before performing a run-up and making a superhuman jump towards the building in front of him, flailing his arms around wildly as he sailed forward. However, for all his efforts, the boy's jump came up too short to reach the roof of the opposing building, leading him to instead slam awkwardly against its facade a few floors too low.

Despite faceplanting into the building, he at the very least managed to successfully cling to its surface with his new Quirk. And after briefly freeing a hand to nurse his hurting and reddening nose, Izuku then quickly proceeded to climb upwards once more. But before he managed to reach the top, a tingling sensation suddenly rang through his skull — just before a shadow shot off the roof behind him and landed directly in his path, facing downwards toward the boy while clinging to the wall in a manner similar to his own.

Now up-close and personal, the pursuer revealed itself to be what could only be described as a large, green lizard-man wearing clothes and a lab coat — his slit eyes and sharp teeth gleaming with a predatory light as he hissed and snarled threateningly while a thick, forked tongue lolled out of his mouth.

" _ ***Hissssss~!***_ "

"Aaah!"

Recoiling in shock from the sudden proximity, Izuku barely avoided the lizard-man's clawed hand as it lashed out towards him, but the action caused the boy to lose both his grip and his balance, leading to him fall backwards off from the wall.

Panicking as he found himself in freefall, Izuku thrust his arms towards the building and released two white streams from his wrists which spread out into multiple thin strands of interwoven spider-like webbing.

While they shot out and successfully attached themselves to the building, the webbing ultimately proved too weak to break his fall as the threads composing one of the two web-lines either snapped or detached themselves from the wall under the strain of the boy's weight — causing him to start spinning uncontrollably and tangle himself up in the loosened webbing as he continued falling.

" _Uwaaaaaah~!_ " the boy screamed as he helplessly fell, screwing his eyes shut as the unforgiving ground approached at a frightening speed.

However, as he fell past the final floors, the still attached line of webbing started to stretch out like a rubber-band, bleeding off his momentum until he finally came to a stop in the air a few feet off the ground, bouncing up and down a little for good measure as he dangled in place.

Blinking owlishly with all eight of his eyes, the boy let out a sigh of relief from avoiding smacking head-first into the ground — but he was still in a precarious situation, suspended upside-down tangled in his own webbing like a fish trapped in a net.

Sure enough, as he slowly twirled around in place while attempting to break loose, he soon came face to face with the lizard-man who had at some point already made his way down onto the ground as well, perhaps even before him.

Hissing at him, the lizard-man then reared back in preparation to swipe at him with his claws, causing Izuku to wince and once more screw his eyes shut in fear.

However, rather than his flesh being rendered by long claws, what the boy felt instead was the pain of the sidewalk suddenly rushing up to meet him as the lizard-man had torn through the webbing rather than the boy himself.

Cradling his now sore head, Izuku hesitantly glanced up to see the lizard-man assume a more relaxed stance as he fished a small black item out of his lab coat.

"...And _Time_ ," the lizard-man declared pointedly as he deactivated the digital stopwatch in his hand. "Hmph. Hardly your best performance, Midoriya."

"Uugh... I'm sorry, Sensei..." the boy sighed dejectedly as his head sagged.

* * *

As U.A. High was an institution mainly oriented towards training and educating aspiring Heroes, the school possessed several specialized facilities spread throughout the enormous campus grounds. One such place was the Replica City District which, just as it sounds, was a large unpopulated city district constructed solely for the students to be able to train and become familiar with what its like fighting and using their Quirks in an urban environment, something that would undeniably provide invaluable experience for when they would graduate to become official Heroes.

While a mechanical gate in the large walls enclosing the replica city opened up to let a class of costume-wearing Heroes-in-training enter, we move our focus over to the sophisticated glass building standing prominently at the front of the campus grounds which serves as the main school-building.

Inside, we head straight to the Nurse's Office, where-in a familiar face is neatly proceeding to give Izuku a once-over.

"Hmm... Hmm-hmm... Good. As far as I can tell, aside from that big bruise on your face, you appear to be perfectly alright..." the little old doctor Izuku had become acquainted with at the hospital, Doctor Shuuzenji Chiyo — AKA "The Youthful Heroine, Recovery Girl" — told him after giving him a quick examination. "How'd you manage to get that anyway? Did you trip and faceplant onto the sidewalk perhaps?"

"Um... More like into the side of a building, actually..." Izuku admitted awkwardly while scratching his chin with a sheepish expression. "I... tried to leap from one rooftop to another, and came up a little short..."

The little old doctor fixed him with a look. "...A little short?"

"...Four-five floors or so..." he admitted. "I was kinda, sorta, also jumping all the way across a highway street in the process..."

"Good grief... You certainly waste no time trying to pull off some big-shot moves," she sighed as she swiveled in her chair and started rummaging in the drawers of her desk. "Your physical condition has only just recently recovered to the point where you've been declared fit to start undergoing physical training to familiarize yourself with your new abilities... And here you are, already leaping from rooftops like you're some kind of action-man..."

Fishing out a wad of cotton and a small bottle of antiseptic, she dunked the latter in the former and turned back around and beckoned for Izuku to lean his face forwards.

"Well... I guess given your Quirk, it's no wonder you'd end up trying to utilize high places..." she then admitted with a light sigh.

"Well... _*khh*_ I guess..." Izuku muttered, trying not to wince too much as she wiped over and around his red, swollen nose. "While I recuperated in the hospital, I had a lot of time on my hands to at least get used to my new adhesion ability... Or rather, it was essential that I got used to it because I kept getting _stuck_ to things all the time..."

Izuku briefly recalled how he would sometimes accidentally drag along his bed sheet, get his feet suddenly stuck to the floor which would often cause him to trip, or tear over furniture because he couldn't let go when he intended to. There was even an occasion where he spent a whole afternoon with his two index fingers stuck together, as if caught in an invisible Chinese finger trap...! And that was not even getting into some of the more embarrassing mishaps he'd had, like how he'd sometimes struggled to release his grip on _certain_ body parts after using the toilet...

 _(*Knock, knock!* "Izuku? Are you okay in there?")_

("No, Mom! Don't come in!")

"Umm, anyway..." Izuku shook his head, trying to dispel those awkward, awkward memories. "I can freely control the adhesion in both my hands and feet now... And once I'd gotten some of my strength back, I was simply akin to get out of that hospital room... _He-heh_. I guess you could say I'd been cooped up so long that I'd started _climbing the walls_."

Izuku's small grin at his stupid little joke was replaced with a grimace as Doctor Shuuzenji resumed wiping off his bruised nose after administrating antiseptic to a new piece of cotton.

"Yes... And I'm still annoyed that you started practicing like that without proper supervision," she said tersely while perhaps applying a little more pressure than strictly necessary.

"I... I was pretty careful though, not moving to the ceiling until I'd gotten the hang of clinging to the walls successfully..." the boy attempted lamely in his defense. "I only really fell that one time because you suddenly came into my room and immediately started shouting- _Ow!_ "

"And thank goodness you at least partially managed to bounce off the bed on your way down," Dr. Shuuzenji snorted in annoyance. "If you'd fallen on your head in your brittle state at the time, it probably wouldn't have been as funny..."

"Um, yes, I know... I'm deeply sorry..."

Seeing the boy look sufficiently abashed, the doctor released a somewhat more relaxed sigh.

" _Sheesh_... Kids are always the same... Once they get their Quirks, they can't help themselves but run a little wild with them," she noted before throwing the wad of cotton in the garbage can next to her desk and started rummaging in her drawers again. "But at least your resilience have now improved to the point that even crashing face-first into a building facade only leaves you with a bruise or two... And while your physical condition continues to improve, you'll only _keep_ on getting stronger. I won't be surprised at all if you'd be able to make that jump properly in a few weeks time from now."

Pursing his lips, as if unsure how to react to receiving positive feedback from someone, Izuku eventually settled with simply looking down and give a shy nod in response.

"...U-Un."

"There. That should do it," the little old doctor said as she placed a thick band-aid across the bridge of Izuku's nose and then gave it a little tap for good measure which caused the boy to wince. "Judging by your usual rate of recovery, I'd recon the swelling should have passed after little more than a day or two."

Gingerly using his fingers to nurse the aggravated sore spot from his earlier faceplant, Izuku then looked back up to give the woman seated in front of him a curt bow.

"Um, thank you, Doctor Shuuzenji... For always looking after me like this..."

"My, don't think about it. This is my job after all," she waved him off before handing him a piece of candy from a PEZ dispenser. "Also, while we're on campus, please feel free to address me by my Hero-name _'Recovery Girl'_ like all the other students."

"Ah, y-yes... Thank you, Recovery Girl..." Izuku smiled hesitantly and bowed his head once more, earning a good-natured chuckle from the little old doctor.

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, Recovery Girl. The boy is not a student here yet."

At the low and guttural voice, the two turned to where the lizard-man had stood leaning against a wall while he waited.

With a mutant-type Quirk that gave him both the abilities as well as the overt appearance of a lizard, this man was Hitokage Kuruto, Hero-name: _Professor Lizard_. With doctorates in biology and biochemistry, he was employed at U.A. as one of the school's science teachers. Between both his physical and academic capabilities, he was deemed as an ideal candidate to oversee the development and training of Izuku's new Quirk while the boy underwent his rehabilitation on campus.

However, the man's terse and standoffish demeanor hinted that he might not exactly be thrilled with this particular assignment.

"Hmh. It was just a turn of phrase, Professor. There's no need to be so uptight about something so trivial," Recovery Girl replied with a light frown behind her visor. "Besides, you know as well as I do that the boy wants to eventually enroll here."

The lizard-man only scoffed before he pushed himself off the wall and started walking up to them, his thick tail swaying behind him as he approached.

"I respectfully disagree. I think its important to firmly establish some boundaries, lest the boy forgets his position here..." As he talked, his sharp gaze shifted to focus squarely upon Izuku. "And that is as a _Patient_ , not a student. He should focus on completing his therapy and rehabilitation to be able to live a normal life with his new abilities _BEFORE_ entertaining such lofty aspirations like becoming a _Hero_ , of all things..."

While Izuku paled a little and looked down at the declaration, Recovery Girl was having none of it.

"What's with that attitude? There's no need to be so dismissive of the boy's dreams like that! Besides, _you're_ the one who's supposed to get the boy ready for his potential enrollment."

" _My_ job, Recovery Girl, is to study the idiosyncrasies of the boy's unorthodox Quirk and teach him to properly control it so he won't possess a danger to himself or others! _Everything else_ is arbitrary," he declared with finality before turning towards the doorway. "Hmph. If we're done here, then it's time we got going already. Come on, boy. Let's not keep _'her'_ waiting more than we already have, alright?"

"A-Ah, yes! I'm coming," Izuku squeaked as he jumped off his chair and made to follow, pausing only to turn back round and give Recovery Girl one final bow on he way. "Ah, Hitokage-sensei, wait up," he called as he exited the Nurse's Office and hurried down the hallway after the reptilian teacher.

As his hurried footsteps drifted off into the distance, Recovery Girl could only mutter under her breath as she swiveled the chair she sat in to face her desk.

"Good grief..." she harrumphed. "What's crawled up _his_ scaly behind all of a sudden...?"

Meanwhile, Izuku trotted after the man and followed along obediently as they left the main building and took one of the many paths connecting the various facilities through the park-like campus grounds. As the wide path before them was framed by neatly arranged sections of beautiful trees, Izuku silently studied his surroundings as well as the various U.A. students they passed on their way whilst absentmindedly picking at the errant strands of webbing still clinging onto parts of his tracksuit.

After a few minutes of quiet walking, the lizard-man in front of him finally spoke up.

"You know... by my estimate, you should've been able to make that kind of jump easily...!" he said without looking back, referring to Izuku's failed rooftop-jump in the Replica City District.

"Um...! I-" Izuku stammered, startled at suddenly being addressed out of the blue.

"But you hesitated and subconsciously held back, severely limiting your performance," the professor continued. "And its not just when atop a daunting rooftop like earlier. You still _think_ too much about your actions before performing them. You need to learn how to rely on your instincts... To rely on your Quirk and its abilities better, until it becomes like a second nature. ...Just like how it is for everyone else who's grown up with their Quirks."

Listening attentively, Izuku's brow furrowed a little.

"B-But that's just it, isn't it...? I _haven't_ grown up with mine," he sullenly protested. "You can't expect me to make up for that difference in such a short timeframe already..."

Finally glancing back through the corner of his eye to see the boy behind him stare back with a rare expression of defiance on his face, Professor Lizard closed his eyes and let out a light snort.

"And therein lies the problem, doesn't it?"

"H-huh? What're you-"

"Midoriya," he cut him off once more as he turned to address the boy properly. "Even among Hero schools, U.A. High is an academy that sports a significantly intense curriculum. As such, they can only afford to accept the most _promising_ of students, all of which having already spent _years_ honing their individual abilities..."

As he talked he started to loom over the boy, almost causing Izuku to step backwards from the sheer pressure the man exuded.

"And considering your circumstances, surely you can understand my reluctance to entertain your notion of applying for U.A., despite the Principal's blessings... _Especially_ for as preposterously soon as the next semester already. Don't go putting the cart before the horse, _boy_."

The man then backed off and tugged at the front of his lab coat to straighten it out as he continued in a somewhat milder tone.

"Once we've completed your therapy, only _then_ can we talk about whether achieving your dreams is feasible or not. But until such a time comes to pass, you're best served focusing on the _here and now_."

With that, the professor returned his attention forwards and continued down the path, his thick tail swaying lightly behind him from underneath his lab coat.

Clenching his fist tightly where he stood, Izuku cursed his own inability to speak back to the man, knowing that his reasoning had made perfect sense.

But even still...

* * *

Not long afterwards, Izuku followed Professor Lizard into a building on campus that served as the school's Sciences Lab Building.

After passing a few guards and security locks, the two continued down a hallway before opening one of the many doors, entering a decently sized laboratory.

At their entrance, the room's single occupant stood up from her where she'd been working with a high-spec microscope and calmly walked over to greet them.

Like Professor Lizard, this woman was wearing a white lab coat over her clothes as well, but the similarities didn't stop there. Possessing a mutant-type Quirk of her own, this woman was also what could only be described as a humanoid reptile. However, her traits were somewhat softer and smoother, and distinctly lacked the same kind of protective scales that the man had adorning his body.

Rather than a reptile, it was probably more accurate to say that she was an amphibian. A salamander to be precise, with a smooth purplish-black hide unevenly adorned with yellow markings.

"Welcome back, Darling," she said as she and the professor took each others' hands and rubbed their snouts together in greeting. "Are you two done with the exercise?"

"Yes, my love," Professor Lizard responded in a surprisingly affectionate tone of voice. "I'm planning to study the boy's telemetry-readings from today's stress-test, so would you mind taking over from here?"

"Ah, not at all," she replied before turning towards Izuku. "Midoriya-kun, just give me a moment to put away my work and we'll head downstairs to start today's session, alright?"

Smiling at the salamander-woman, Izuku replied with a small nod.

"Y-Yes, Sensei... I'm ready whenever you are."

At the timid boy's earnest expression, the woman closed her eyes towards him in a friendly smile.

End of chapter 8.

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

I was originally planning to get out another chapter of my Transformers fanfic before returning to this story, but after I suddenly had a breakthrough at a point I struggled with, I ended up completing the rest of this chapter pretty quickly. Oh, well. The next Transformers-chapter is in its finishing stages at least.

This chapter introduces the Lizard and his wife as science teachers at U.A., more specifically as the teachers who have been entrusted with Izuku's care. I wanted his wife to possess a similar Quirk to fit with the Lizard's overall theme, but still have its own separate characteristics which will be touched upon in the next chapter. For a somewhat basic idea of what she might look like, google the character 'Crusch Lulu' from the 'Overlord' series.

I also tried to 'Japanify' the Lizard's name in order to fit with the Japanese setting, as well as emulate how the author of the manga tends to name his characters. While "Kuruto" is just a romaji spelling of "Curt", "Hitokage" is a portmanteau of "Hito" (meaning _'person'_ ) and "Tokage" (meaning _'lizard'_ ). Incidentally, "Hitokage" can also mean 'salamander', making it work for both of the Professors. ...I think. Japanese pun-age isn't my strong suit. If anyone knows any better, feel free to let me know.

That "Hitokage" also turns out to be the Japanese name for the Pokemon Charmander will for the moment be ignored, though it's meaning of _'fire'_ \+ _'lizard'_ might be an accidental bonus if you recognize how I described the female professor's markings.

Next time, Izuku goes through a different sort of training with the female professor, while All Might meets with Detective Tsukauchi regarding a find related to the mall incident.


	9. Reptiles on Campus, part 2

**MY HERO ACADEMIA AU - The Spectacular Spider-Deku**

Chapter 9: Reptiles on Campus, part 2.

* * *

 **Some time ago, back at the hospital:**

"Does he really have to do this?" a worried Midoriya Inko said while the doctors were fastening small adhesive patches with telemetric sensors around her son's forehead. "You saw what happened to him the _last_ time he went outside. Aren't the test you've already performed in here enough?"

"I can understand your concerns, Midoriya-san. But that's exactly why we need this data so we can understand how to treat it," Doctor Shuuzenji replied as she fiddled with a tablet computer in her hands. "Do not worry though. That choker we've also equipped him with is a medical tool that directly monitors his pulse, body temperature and other vital systems, so we'll be warned straight away if any crucial abnormalities occurs."

"Even if you say so..." the anxious mother trailed off, wringing her hands.

"It's okay, Mom," her son cut in, drawing their attentions to where the shaggy-haired young patient was sitting on the hospital bed. "If we don't find a way to get through this, then there's no way that I'll ever be able to become a Hero, after all."

While the boy still looked slightly emaciated after the months he'd spent inside of his cocoon, with dark bags underneath his eyes and sunken-in chins — the look in his eyes was clear and firm, speaking of the strength of the boy's conviction.

"Izuku..."

"Good grief," the little old woman shook her head and sighed good-naturedly. "Looks like the boy's determined to do this at all costs."

As her digital touch-screen started displaying graphs like the boy's brainwave and heart-rate telemetries, Doctor Shuuzenji looked back up at the boy seated before her.

"Alright, the systems are now all set. Are you ready to begin, youngster?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess..." he responded with a slightly nervous swallow.

Not long afterwards, Izuku was walking down the hallways leading away from his room in the high-security wing of the hospital, while his mother, Recovery Girl, as well as a few other doctors and orderlies followed behind him at a slight distance.

"...It seems to be going well so far," one of the doctors commented as they watched the boy make his way down the relatively quiet corridors while taking great care to ensure he wasn't obstructing anyone he met along the way.

"Yes..." Dr. Shuuzenji muttered noncommittally as she kept her eyes on the telemetry displayed on the tablet, particularly how certain graphs would spike a little whenever the boy came within the proximity of someone else. "However, it's from here on out that the test will start for real."

At the little old woman's words, Inko swallowed thickly as she kept her eyes glued to her son's back.

As Izuku's journey eventually carried him out of the wing and into the main building, he became more and tense as the activity around him greatly increased nearly all at once.

For every person he came across in the hallway, be they doctors and nurses hurrying about their business or even just idle patients shuffling their way past, the buzzing sensation in his skull grew in intensity as he was made acutely aware of every single presence around him whether they were in his line of sight or not. And it was only becoming worse the further he went on.

With this anxious, crowded feeling causing his composure to falter, he gingerly steadied himself against the corridor wall — leaning upon his right forearm while attempting to get his quickened breathing under control again as a noticeable sweat had started dribbling down the side of his face.

'I-It's happening... just like last time...' he thought to himself, recalling the last time he'd ventured into a highly crowded area in the hospital. Even though he had been expecting it this time, it was all he could do for the assault on his senses not to overwhelm him.

"I... Izuku..." Inko anxiously whined from afar at the state her son had fallen into, but was prevented from moving towards him by a pointed look from Recovery Girl.

After what seemed like ages to him, but might've actually only have been about a minute or two, Izuku swallowed and forced himself to continue onwards, continuously steadying himself against the wall as he dragged his feet behind him.

Gritting his teeth in exertion, Izuku soon made it to the end of a hallway which led out into a large open space that served as the hospital's entrance foyer. And if the corridors had been bad, what was before him now so many times worse. Everywhere he looked there was some kind of activity, with people moving back and forth in every which direction in an endless, seamless chaotic flow.

Despite his heavy sweat and rapid breathing having greatly increased, he still pushed himself from the threshold and shuffled unsteadily into the room proper, each step slow and deliberate as if his feet were made of lead. And the deeper he made it out into the room, the more unbearable the buzzing in his skull became, to the point that he could no longer even hear his own thoughts anymore.

Even when he cradled his shaking arms around himself and screwed his eyes shut, he was somehow still inexplicably aware of every single person moving about throughout the room and every motion they made by doing so. Every step they took across the floor, every motion of their limbs and rustle of their clothing — hell, even the people behind the counters or the ones simply seated in the waiting area, their presence all resonated inside of his skull all at once, right down to their very heartbeats.

And. it. was. all. just. too. _much_.

Then, a particular sensation among the buzzing in his head caused him to turn around just in time to see a nurse who'd been hurrying across the room with a medical trolley accidentally bump one of the wheels against an obstacle, causing some its contents to get knocked onto the floor. As various tools and medicine canister fell and spilled outwards, Izuku felt each little impact against the floor inside his head as if they were all taking place in slow motion.

As other people came over to help the flustered nurse pick up her items, the profusely sweating boy brought up his shaking hands to clutch at his head while letting out a long and strangled whimper.

Together with the other people observing the boy who were still back at the end of the corridor, Inko was now outright crying as she saw her boy slowly sink to his knees on the middle of the floor. And instructions be damned, she could no longer contain herself and ran out towards him.

"I-Izukuuu~!"

"Ah, wait-!" one of the doctors said as he attempted to stop her, but he was blocked by Recovery Girl's cane blocking his way.

"No, it's okay. We've pushed this as far as we should," Recovery Girl calmly told them as she lowered her cane back down to the floor and returned her gaze to where the kneeling boy was getting cautiously approached by concerned onlookers until his mother franticly closed the distance and enveloped him in a massive hug. "...Now hurry up and administer the poor boy a sedative already before you help his mother get him back to his room."

"A-ah, yes, Doctor Shuuzenji," the others replied. "We'll do so at once!"

* * *

A good while later, the group had reconvened back inside Izuku's room to discuss their results.

"W-What did you call it, again? A... A 'psychic perception field'...?" Inko asked from where she sat at the hospital bed holding her son in a comforting embrace as even after the sedatives and cold compresses that had been administered to him, the boy still looked completely drained from the earlier experience.

Despite his condition however, one would only have to look at his eyes to tell that he too was clearly paying rapt attention to the current conversation.

In response to the mother's question, Dr. Shuuzenji nodded before she continued enlightening the pair of their findings.

"Yes. As we suspected from the initial incident and the subsequent tests we ran, young Midoriya is now capable of instinctively sensing his immediate surroundings via psychic perception... You can think of it like there is an constantly active radar inside of his head."

"You... You mean like a bat's sonar?" Inko asked.

"In this case, it would be more apt to compare it to a spider's _web_ ," a voice cut in as two of the new doctors in the room stepped forward.

"You are...?" Inko addressed the pair, recognizing them as someone she'd seen several times in passing during the times she'd visited Izuku in the hospital. While one of them was wearing a shawl over their head, they were both distinctly reptilian in appearance due to their mutant-type Quirks.

"Allow me to formally introduce them," Dr. Shuuzenji told her as she gestured to the pair. "These are the professors, Mr. Hitokage Kuruto and his wife Maruza, who, _like me_ , are employed at U.A. They're someone I've been consulting with a lot regarding young Izuku's case ever since the original mall incident."

"I... I see..." the mother said before nodding at the pair. "You have my gratitude."

"Don't think about it," the female professor said reassuringly as she used a gloved hand to remove the shawl she was wearing from her lower face, revealing a black, amphibian snout adorned with large yellow markings. "We're just happy we were able to contribute... Both for Recovery Girl and your son's sake."

While the two women nodded at each other, Dr. Shuuzenji turned back to the male professor who had spoken first.

"And...? What did you mean by what you said earlier about the boy's ability?"

"It's quite simple, Recovery Girl," the lizard-looking man responded a he started to elaborate. "According to the data you provided, it is like the boy has countless psychic 'feelers' extending in all directions which instantly pick up and report information from the surroundings back to the centre... Just like how a spider sitting in the middle of its web receives information from vibrations going down its threads... Somehow, the boy's mutation has granted him a passive psychic ability that seems to mimic this particular function."

Sitting in his mother's embrace, Izuku could only blink as he digested the information. All things considered, the comparison made a great deal of sense.

"The problem however is that it's exactly that, a _passive_ ability," the female professor cut in as she spoke towards the pair on the bed. "Not only can it not be turned off at will, but it's also manifested extremely powerfully right from the onset, leaving the boy unable to cope as he haven't had the chance to develop the necessary affinity to filter out all the excess information...! This is why, when there's too much activity around him to take in at once, your son suffers from extreme sensory overload like in the test you performed earlier."

That was one way to put it, Izuku thought as he thought about the overwhelming pressure and anxiety he had felt earlier, as well as the migraines that he had been suffering from as a result. It had felt like the nerves inside of his brain had been flayed open and pulled at like strings in all directions.

"Then... Can it be treated somehow?" Inko asked concerned.

"There are a few ways that we could go about it," the lizard-man spoke. "For one thing, there are medicines that can suppress a person's Quirk. Unfortunately, they would serve to mute _all_ his abilities, so-"

"!"

"I-Izuku?" Inko said in concern as she felt her son stiffen in her embrace.

"N-No way..." the boy muttered weakly as he tried to lean forward to properly face the doctors. "I've... I've gone my whole life wishing to get a Quirk... And now that I actually _have_ one, I'll have to take medicines to suppress it? No..." he shook his head. "No, I don't _want_ that...!"

Looking defiantly up at the lizard-man as he'd said that, the two stared each other down for a few seconds in silence before the man closed his eyes and let out a slightly annoyed sigh.

"As I was going to say, if you had let met finish," he started, "going with this approach is a poor long term solution exactly for those reasons..."

"..." As he blinked up at the man, the female professor took over.

"We would instead suggest using a specially designed drug that will only suppress that particular ability, at least to a level where you feel you can handle it. As the goal here is to help you be able to live a normal life with your new Quirk, we will see if we can gradually lower the dosage over time as you slowly become more and more accustomed to your psychic perception... Your _'spider-sense'_ , if you will," she said, going with her husband's analogy.

"Naturally, we'd be running this parallel with teaching the boy cope with his physical abilities as well," the male professor added.

"Um, I'm sorry?" Inko spoke up. "Are you saying you two will be the ones to personally oversee his therapy?"

"Between the sciences involved, as well as the nature of young Midoriya's Quirk, I can assure you that these two should be perfectly suited to the task," Dr. Shuuzenji nodded sagely. "And as I will be closely monitoring his health as well, between the three of us, your son will be in good hands at U.A."

"I... Thank you so much," Inko bowed forward gratefully while helping her exhausted son do the same. "We... We are forever in your debt."

"It's fine... It's fine..." Dr. Shuuzenji waved it off with a smile. "We've already promised to help the boy after all to repay his heroic actions."

"It's a personal request from Recovery Girl, as well as the Principal... It's not like we could refuse," the lizard-man commented matter-of-factly while his wife gave a small, but reassuring smile towards the boy.

* * *

 **Present day, U.A. Campus:**

Standing in the center of a wide-open room in his tracksuit, sans the jacket, Izuku absentmindedly adjusted the now-visible telemetry-chocker around his neck before tying a large handkerchief around the top half of his face in order to blindfold himself, making sure to properly cover the extra eyes on his forehead as well.

Lowering his bare arms down at his sides, he spread his stance a little and then performed a breathing exercise in order to center himself — inhaling the air through his nose before releasing it again after a second with a deep breath from his mouth.

"...Are you ready now, Midoriya-kun?" the voice of the female professor Hitokage sounded from the side of the room once he was done, prompting the boy to nod.

"Yeah... We can begin whenever, Sensei."

"Okay then. Let's start gradually as usual."

Stationed along the periphery of the wide room were multiple drones resembling tennis ball pitching machines, all of them aimed towards the centre where the blindfolded boy stood waiting.

Controlling them remotely where she stood with her tablet, the salamander-woman operated the touch-screen to start them all up, causing the steady hum of the machines' engines to reverberate throughout the room.

After a few seconds, she then had one of the machines launch a single tennis ball from one of the corners of the room, causing the boy to reflexively whirl around to face it... and then get conked with a direct hit that bounced off against his already bruised nose.

" _Gha!_ "

" _Ah_. Oh dear. Are you okay, Midoriya-kun?" the professor said in concern, her long tail swaying behind her as she approached the boy who was now sitting in a crouch on the floor and hissing in pain while nursing his sore spot over the band-aid.

" _Khhh_... Y-yeah," he muttered through clenched teeth. "J-just... Just give me a second..."

A little while later, the boy had managed to collect himself and now stood before the salamander-woman with the handkerchief slightly raised so he could look up at her.

"Okay... That one seemed to be a failure because you reacted to the _sound_ of the ball being fired, and not to your spider-sense..." she told him in an analytical tone as she dragged her gloved fingers across the tablet, using the same term for his psychic perception field that she had coined back at the hospital. "Try to center yourself again, Midoriya-kun, and then we'll restart the test."

"U-Uhn!"

Earning a overly stiff nod from the boy in response, the cool and clinical expression in the female professor's eyes softened a little in amusement before she carefully reached over and — after a moments hesitation — placed her gloved hand down onto his shoulder.

"Try to relax a little more, Midoriya-kun," she told him with a slight smile as she carefully kneeled down to his eye-level, causing the shy boy to sway back a little in place from the somewhat close proximity. "Just block everything else out and try to think of nothing at all. Do you think you can do that?"

"...N-Nh. Okay," he shook off his blush and nodded with a focused expression. "I-I'll try my best."

"Good," she nodded with a small smile before standing back up. "Then let's continue, shall we?"

As she walked back outside the encirclement of tennis ball pitchers, Izuku pulled the handkerchief back over his eyes and performed his breathing-exercises again, continuing them for slightly longer than the last time until they gradually winded down into his regular breathing.

Surrounded in total darkness, all the boy could hear was the humming from the multiple machines surrounding the room, as well as his own, calm breathing.

Seeing the boy finally look at ease, the professor pressed on her tablet and once again launched a single tennis ball, this time from a different angle.

As the ball shot towards the motionless boy, a slight tingling sensation suddenly buzzed in his skull which prompted him to suddenly crane his neck to the side, allowing the ball to fly past him and bounce harmlessly across the floor on the other side of the room.

Nodding in approval at this result as the boy reassumed his stance, the professor now launched tennis balls from three machines in succession, all from different angles.

The tingling sensation returning in his skull, Izuku reflexively half-turned in place to avoid the first ball before first tilting his torso forwards then backwards to dodge the other two.

With the balls bouncing across the floor, the salamander-woman changed the settings on her tablet, causing all of the machines to start pitching tennis balls at completely random. While it started slow and gradually, before long there were tennis balls flying through the air towards the centre of the room from every direction at once. And through-out it all, Izuku kept ducking and weaving with surprisingly graceful movements, trusting his instincts and reflexes over to his spider-sense to lead him through the barrage without receiving a single hit.

As the salamander-woman gradually raised a colored bar on her touch-screen which represented the intensity of the bombardment, Izuku's movements started to become more and more acrobatic, flowing fluidly from ducks and rolls into jumps and leaps, as well as backflips, forward flips, and twirling handstands in a mesmerizing display that could've put an Olympic gymnast to shame.

After a while of dancing like a leaf inside a hailstorm, the barrage slowly started to taper off as the pitching machines finally ran out of ammo.

And standing upright in the middle of the room amidst dozens of tennis balls scattered all across the floor, a panting Izuku tried to steady his breathing while dragging his bare forearm underneath his jaw to wipe away the sweat from the exertion.

However, just as things were quieting down, the salamander-woman smirked as she pressed her tablet again, prompting one of the pitching machines to launch one final ball that it had still been saving.

Her smile grew even greater still when the boy suddenly whirled around and simply caught it in his hand before it could hit him.

"Excellent work, Midoriya-kun. You finally managed to survive the entire barrage," she applauded as the exhausted boy discarded the ball and removed the handkerchief from his head. "Starting tomorrow, we'll be able to raise the difficulty-level again."

"Huff... Huff... _Heh_... Please give me a break, Sensei," Izuku responded tiredly, though the wide grin on his sweat-drenched face proved that he himself was pretty proud of his achievement.

Giving a light chuckle at his response, the professor activated another program on her tablet which prompted the ball pitching machines to start moving across the room on their own, sucking back up the scattered tennis balls while droning on in a mechanical tone.

" _Cleaning... Cleaning..._ " they buzzed in tandem as they milled about like oversized roombas, while a single one of the machines responded in a sing-songy tone, going " _I know~._ "

"Well then, Midoriya-kun, you must be parched," she called before gesturing to the sports bottle sitting next to the wall behind her besides the boy's jacket. "Come get something to drink already. Then, once you're done in the showers, we'll head over to the cafeteria for some lunch, okay?"

"Huff... Huff... Ah, yeah... That sounds great," the sweating boy smiled in response.

However, as he was about to make his way towards her, he was too exhausted to heed the reappearance of the tingling in his skull as he accidentally stepped upon one of the tennis balls still cluttering the floor and fell back over, banging the back of his head against the ground.

"Uwah—" ***Clonk!*** " _Ghak!_ "

" _Ah._ M-Midoriya-kun. Are you alright?" the woman called over in concern, a comical sweatdrop appearing on the back of her head as the groaning boy writhed back and forth on the floor while clutching at the back of his sore head.

End of chapter 9.

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

During the past few weeks, I've drawn and posted a few sketches related to this fic on my tumblr account ("a-norwegian-nerds-grotto") and my Deviantart-page (under the same username that I use here), so if you're curious over what Izuku will look like in this story then please head-on over and check them out. They're in black-and-white though.

While writing the previous chapter, I originally planned to gloss over how Izuku's overdeveloped Spider-sense had manifested itself with a brief paragraph summarizing his experiences back at the hospital. But given how big a role that part of his powers will play in this story, I eventually decided to flesh it out into a proper flashback-scene as seen in the first half of this chapter, which explains why some of my original plans for this chapter got pushed back a little.

The subsequent training-sequence was part of the original draft though.

Going with the trend I made of naming the Lizard _"Kuruto"_ after the romaji-spelling of his original name, _"Curt"_ , I did the same with his wife, although I took a few liberties with it as the _official_ romaji-spelling of _"Martha"_ would have been _"Ma-sa",_ and not _"Maruza"_ which I felt simply sounded better in the long run. As far as I know, the name I used doesn't have any particular meaning in Japanese, but do let me know if I'm mistaken.

And as for why she's constantly wearing gloves as well as a shawl over her head at times, it will be made clear in the next chapter when her Quirk gets explained in detail. Though if you've realized what _kind_ of salamander she is, you might probably have a pretty good idea already.

Next time, Izuku and Professor Maruza have a discussion over lunch in the U.A. cafeteria, and we'll see if we can get to that All Might scene I mentioned _this_ time around...

No promises though.


	10. Reptiles on Campus, part 3

**MY HERO ACADEMIA AU - The Spectacular Spider-Deku**

Chapter 10: Reptiles on Campus, part 3.

* * *

The aptly named 'Grand Mess Hall' was a giant-sized, but elegantly designed school cafeteria that could provide seating up to the hundreds as it was made not just to accommodate U.A.'s Hero course, but also all the students from the school's other courses as well.

However, as it was outside the usual lunch-hours, the place was relatively devoid of students when they arrived, allowing Izuku and the professor to easily find an empty table for themselves after getting their respective meals from the Chef-like Pro-Hero working behind the kitchen counter.

"Aah, the 'Cooking Hero' _Lunch-Rush's_ cooking is great as always," Izuku hummed with delight as he ate out of a bowl with his chopsticks. "Getting to eat food this delicious every day for such affordable prizes, and that's been prepared by a _Pro-Hero_ no less... Man, U.A. students are so lucky~."

"Hm, yes, indeed," the salamander-woman smirked where she sat across from him, tending to her own meal while simultaneously looking over and grading some school papers. "As U.A.'s curriculum can be quite demanding, providing the students with a reprieve such as a fulfilling meal does wonders to recharge their batteries and revitalize their spirits."

"I can imagine," Izuku nodded to himself before he happily scarfed down another few bites from his meal. With the appetite he'd built up from his earlier workouts, getting to eat cooking like this was nothing but sheer bliss.

While they continued eating in silence as to allow the teacher to focus her attention on her work, every now and then a student would come within their vicinity and give a quick wave and greeting to the female professor as they walked on by, to which she courtly replied before once again returning her focus back to the papers on the table.

After this had happened a few times, she glanced up to see Izuku stare thoughtfully after the last couple of students that had gone past with a look on his face that she couldn't quite read.

"There. I've finished grading your homework," she finally said as she put aside her marker and stacked the papers, surprising the mop-haired boy out of his reverie. "As always, you've performed quite exceptionally, Midoriya-kun."

"Ah, t-thank you..." the boy lightly blushed at the praise as he received the papers over the table. "Since I ended up with a lot of free time back at the hospital, I started hitting the books as quickly as I was able to in order to not fall behind any further," he admitted. "It took some effort though, as in the beginning I could hardly turn the pages in them without getting my fingers stuck due to my new Quirk."

"Hehe. Well, the effort you've put in shows," she smiled good-naturedly as she repositioned her meal properly in front of her. "At this rate, you'll be all caught up with your old class in no time at all."

"T-thanks," he smiled awkwardly. "G-Growing up, being good at studying was one of the few, if _only_ talent I've ever had, to be honest..." he lightly chuckled, nervously scratching a finger over the band-aid that sat atop the ridge of his nose.

As Izuku had already happily started looking over how the professor had graded his papers, he missed the disapproving look she gave at his rather self-deprecating comment.

"I see..." she mused lowly in an unreadable tone before quietly returning to her meal. "Well anyway, I'm sorry for having to cut into your lunch-break again to go over your homework..."

"Ah, n-no. Goodness, no, don't apologize," the boy responded, immediately flustered. "You and your husband are already doing so _much_ for my sake. N-not only are you two and Recovery Girl constantly looking after my health as you help me get used to and train my Quirk, but you're even helping me catch up with my middle school education, a-all the while tending to your proper jobs as teachers at this school as well," he stammered nervously. "I... I can't even _begin_ to describe how thankful I am to you... To _all_ of you," he emphasized, thinking about the principal and All Might as well.

The lab coat wearing salamander-woman gave him an amused smile. "No need to be so flustered, Midoriya-kun. This is all part of the responsibilities that comes with our jobs, after all," she told him, sending the boy into another stammering mess about what they were doing for him was so much _more_ than that which she decided to nip off at the bud. "...Speaking of your health, you haven't been getting any more of your migraines lately, have you?" she asked him matter-of-factly, snapping him out of his cluttered speech.

"H-Huh? Ah, _no_... No, I haven't," he replied uncertainly. "Not since the last time we adjusted the amount of the medicine you've assigned me..."

"Hm, that's good to hear," she mused thoughtfully. "The recent telemetry-readings from the medical choker you're wearing support the fact that your brain levels have indeed finally stabilized," she supplied, gesturing towards the black choker peeking up beneath the boy's shirt collar with her chopsticks before using them to take another bite out of her food. She then glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow. "But nevertheless, if your spider-sense starts giving you trouble again then you _absolutely_ need to inform us, alright?"

"It's... It's fine," he answered honestly, touched by her concern. "A-As you know... If it isn't something that it... that _'I'_ somehow instinctively perceive as a 'threat' — or at least something alarming — then my spider-sense usually doesn't react to anything outside my close, immediate vicinity," he offered. "Like, I can still sense whatever and whoever is really close-by, which makes me get a little anxious if I'm in the middle of a really dense crowd and stuff, but..."

The boy paused in his flustered tirade as he struggled to find the right words.

"...But If I had to describe it," he continued, speaking more softly, "I would say that it's not quite as... _deafening_ anymore..."

At the boy's quiet declaration, the professor leaned back in her seat and nodded sagely to herself.

"Good, good... It's a relief that we seem to have finally narrowed your medication down to the correct dosage. This should help give you a better chance to get accustomed to your new ability without becoming overwhelmed by it," she commented before dragging a hand over the shawl on her head in exasperation. "But I must say, it is really a peculiar ability, even given your Quirk's circumstances. While I fully understand that he had no choice at the time, it is somewhat a shame there was no way for All Might to salvage the spider that caused your mutation in the first place. Not only was it an unique specimen, but if we could've studied it in a controlled environment it might've provided us some insight into how to deal with your case as well."

Izuku blinked. "You think that my spider-sense might've not have been just a freak mutation, but an ability it had originally possessed as well?"

"There's no way to tell at this point, that's the problem," she shrugged. "There was hardly any of its brain left after All Might had finished it off, after all. But we cannot deny either possibility."

"I see..." Izuku replied as he held up and studied one of his own hands. "Until we got it under control with the pills I'm now taking every day, I had somewhat started to believe that my spider-sense was some sort of repercussion or _penalty_ for finally getting a Quirk of my own..." he mused, his brows furrowing. "Like... Like I couldn't get anything right in my life without there being some sort of _catch_ to it..."

 _'Like the_ 'Deku' _I've always been.'_

Seeing how the boy was now clenching his shaking fist, the professor let out a sigh.

"You shouldn't think like that, Midoriya-kun. A smart boy like you with such an analytical mind when it comes to Quirks _MUST_ have noticed that our powers often come with their fair share of _drawbacks_ as well that we must learn to live with... Trust me, I know that to be a fact from _very_ personal experience."

The boy looked up at her, blinking beneath the shaggy hair that hanged over his face.

"Like you know, both my husband and I possess mutant-type Quirks related to cold-blooded creatures, which you might've guessed makes our bodies more susceptible to things like extreme temperatures than your average person..." she began explaining. "But while this means people like us have to take some extra care with either staying warm or staying hydrated during the different seasons of this country, _that's_ not where the main problem with my own particular Quirk lies..."

"Are... Are you perhaps referring to your toxins, Sensei?"

"Yes," she replied slightly subdued as she lightly tugged back one of the sleeves of her lab coat to showcase just how long her gloves were. While he couldn't see where it ended, Izuku probably wouldn't be surprised to learn that they went almost all the way past her biceps.

"You see, I don't only have the physical attributes of a salamander, but those resembling a _fire salamander_ at that... with all that that entails, unfortunately," she explained, gesturing to the yellow markings on her face that wasn't currently covered by her shawl. "I was born with poison glands located all over my body... And as I grew older, my toxins grew in potency as well, leading to several instances were I would accidentally poison and incapacitate my classmates from but the _slightest_ touch."

Izuku paid rapt attention as he digested her words.

"That... Must've been hard..." he finally offered.

"It was..." she nodded, her eyes momentarily glazing over as she no doubt recalled some sort of memory before shaking herself out of it. "...I've... I've since learned to properly control this aspect of my Quirk of course, including just how powerful and debilitating my toxins are when I actually _need_ to use them... In fact, I haven't had an accident like that occur ever since _high school_ ," she declared somewhat proudly before growing somber once more. "...But despite that, the fear that a single moment of carelessness could cause something like that to happen again is still engraved in my body... Especially with how potent my toxins have the potential to be... Which is why I so often try to avoid physical contact with others," she explained before letting out a somber chuckle. "Heh. You must think it's silly, right? Despite having long-since mastered my Quirk, I'm still constantly wearing all this protective clothing from top to tail just because I can't shake this trauma of mine..."

"No... No I don't think it's silly at all," Izuku replied honestly, because it really wasn't. "I... I think you're a really strong person, Sensei. Both for dealing with such problems... as well as _telling_ me about them like that."

"...Thank you," she said softly, nodding lightly towards him in gratitude. "You're a very kind child, Midoriya-kun."

The boy started to hesitantly smile before something occurred to him.

"Um, but wait... What about your husband? I've noticed that you don't seem to have any problems with touching him without wearing anything, and _oh-my-gosh, that-came-out-wrong_."

The professor that had seconds ago looked slightly misty-eyed now brought up a hand to her mouth in a giggle. "A very astute observation. I'd expect nothing less from you, Midoriya-kun," she replied with a raised eyebrow, snickering at how red the teenage boy across the table had turned due to his verbal slip-up. "But as you can probably tell, my husband is the exception to the rule...: Not only because of the bond we've built, but also because that man has _deliberately_ made a great effort over the years to build up a resistance to my toxins, just to help set me more at ease with him and alleviate some of my anxieties."

"Wow..." Izuku blinked in astonishment. "That's... That's really kind of him," he admitted honestly.

"Yes. He _is_ ," she replied with folded hands, looking down on where her wedding ring was under her glove with fondness. "Anyway, the point I was getting at was that I hope you'll understand the importance of being open with us about your _own_ condition in turn," she told him before fixing the boy with a serious stare. "Don't forget that like the rest of your abilities, your spider-sense is likely still developing. Therefore, you'll absolutely have to alert us if you start feeling any changes. I don't want you to try to hide it and toughen it out on your own again the way you've already shown that you're prone to do."

Wincing guiltily, the boy's gaze drifted down towards the table.

"I... I just don't want to bother or worry people needlessly, that's all..." he muttered timidly. "It might've passed on its own if I'd only waited a little longer..."

"While not wanting to cause a big fuss about oneself might be an admirable quality in certain circumstances perhaps, I assure you that it's _quite_ counterproductive when your health is concerned," she told him seriously. "As we're not only your teachers, but also your doctors, your tendency to push yourself in secret only serves to make our work _harder_ , do you understand?"

"...Yes, I understand," he nodded weakly and bowed his head forward. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"Good. I know it's not always easy to be so open with others with such matters, especially for a boy of your age, but I want you to be assured that we only want what's best for you," she nodded with crossed arms, before releasing a good-natured sigh. "You know, I first thought your mother was exaggerating when she warned us about that trait of yours, but Recovery Girl was quick to back-up that statement, as well as going at length about your unsupervised escapades testing your Quirk while you were still in the hospital. I understand that you wish to be ready before the next semester, but you mustn't push yourself too hard too soon or it will only hurt you in the long run."

"..."

"...Speaking of your mother, will she be visiting again to make dinner for you at the usual time?"

At the sudden change in topic, Izuku's head shot up as he tried to formulate a proper response.

"Y-yes. She will. W-We texted a little earlier about it..." he replied before pausing a little. "Um... She also told me to let you know that she would really like it if you and your husband were able to join us again today," he timidly told her. "T-that is, if you're available of course..."

"Oh, we'd be delighted. I'll make sure we'll set aside some time so we can join you," she replied with her eyes closed in a pleased smile, prompting the boy to smile in return.

"R-Really? That's great! She's really been looking forward to spending another evening talking with you and Hitokage-sensei both," he explained happily before blinking as something occurred to him. "Um, I mean, not _you_ , Hitokage-sensei — _well, obviously you too,_ she really enjoys your company — but also the _other_ Hitokage-sensei... That is, your _husband_ , the _professor_. Ah, not that _YOU_ aren't a professor too, I mean..." he waved his hands franticly at her in assurance, "I know you _both_ have PhDs. I was just... Umm..."

His nervous, derailed rambling was brought to a halt as the salamander-woman seated across from him started giggling into her hand.

" _Ufufu_... Calm down, Midoriya-kun. There's no need to be so anxious with me. I know perfectly well what you meant," she good-naturedly reassured him with amusement, causing the high-strung boy to look downwards with a blush. "And you should just do as the students and refer to us by our Hero-names from here on," she added. "It gets less confusing that way."

"...A-Ah, yes, Hitokage- I-I mean, Professor Fire Salamander," he replied, suddenly somewhat dispirited.

"Just 'Salamander-sensei' is fine..." she offered as she sedately took another bite of her meal before looking aside for a moment with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Hmm. My husband will probably insist to return to his work in the lab immediately afterwards, but I'll make sure that he _shows_ at least. No matter how absorbed he is in his work, even _he_ needs to take breaks to _eat_. Whether he likes it or not..."

"Ah... Um, yeah, I understand... His... His work is important after all," Izuku weakly replied as he picked at his food, causing the professor to blink as she registered the odd mood that had come over the boy.

"Oh, please do not take it personal, Midoriya-kun. That's just the way it is with us scientists sometimes, I'm afraid. More often than not we'll have to prioritize our work over a steady eat-and-sleep cycle."

"What?" he looked up, blinking in confusion at her words. "Oh, no, it's not _that_. It's just..." he reassured her before his gaze slowly trailed downwards again. "No, never mind... It's nothing."

"Midoriya-kun..." she said pointedly while her eyes narrowed. "What did I just say earlier about being forthcoming about your problems?"

"Th-This is _different._ It's not related with my health or anything like that."

"Even still, if there's something you're concerned about then I don't want you to feel afraid to discuss it with us. Health is about more than just your _physical_ condition, you know?"

"I-It's nothing important. It's just..." he stopped and finally relented underneath her patient stare. "I was just reminded of something Hitokage- I mean ' _Lizard-sensei'_ told me earlier today... How I should keep in mind that I'm a 'patient' and not a 'student' here..."

"...Oh?"

Looking to the side to avoid the woman's puzzled gaze, Izuku bit hesitantly at his lip as he struggled with if he should continue or not.

"...Midoriya-kun?"

"I..." the boy swallowed as he tried to collect his thoughts. "Please don't take this the wrong way, because like I said earlier, I am really, _really_ grateful to you for all that you and your husband are doing for me. It's..." he grit his teeth. "It's just that.."

"...Yes?" she prodded him patiently.

"When... When we're out on campus, I always see how the U.A. students respond whenever they see you. They always call out to you and give you a short greeting, not just out of respect, but... I can tell that the two of you are _genuinely_ well-liked by the student-body... And you always respond friendly in turn, you and your husband both, but..."

"..."

"With me, your husband is always very terse and to the point. Completely professional at all times, while setting constant boundaries and remaining very standoffish... And I'm sorry, but despite everything, I can't help but think that..."

The boy's eyes flicked briefly back and forth to gauge her expression, and he sucked in a brief breath of air before nervously continuing.

"Does Lizard-sensei... _dislike_ me for some reason...?"

The professor stared quietly at him for a few seconds before tilting her head forward to give it a small shake.

"...Oh, dear. I should have anticipated this..." she commented softly to herself before looking back at the boy proper. "Do not fret, Midoriya-kun," she told him comfortingly. "My husband does not hate you. _Far_ from it, in fact. It's just..."

She released a soft but weary sigh as she quietly recalled an earlier conversation she'd had with her husband.

* * *

 ***Flashback***

"You've been hunkering down in your lab a lot lately," the salamander-woman began as she strode over to where her husband was sitting. "More so than usual, I mean..."

"Well, we've had a lot of work to do," the lizard-man replied casually while he peered down an electronic microscope. "Especially with the new 'patient' on our hands."

"Yes, but you've completely buried yourself in here."

"I'm just trying to make sure there won't be any further complications down the road, that's all," he said as he rose his head and turned in his chair to bring up the magnified image of a cell-sample on a computer screen.

"The Midoriya-boy's mutation is quite extraordinary," he began. "The way that his body have been rewritten on a genetic level to accommodate his new Quirk... I am _convinced_ that that if not for the boy's DNA having effectively been a 'blank slate' beforehand, then there is no way that he would have been able to adapt to the venom or survive the mutagenic process," he said, bringing his hand to his jaw in thought as he studied the image. "It's a fortunate thing indeed that he was born Quirkless."

Behind him, his wife's mouth became a thin line as she made a face.

"...That may be so, but I wouldn't break it to him like that," she warned him. "He... Midoriya-kun won't really say it outright, but it is clear that growing up without a Quirk in today's society has been... _difficult_ for him."

The lizard-man paused briefly for a few seconds before he resumed working on the computer in front of him. "...Hmm, yes. Taking his subdued and anxious nature into account, I suppose I could easily see that being the case..."

Prof. Salamander gritted her teeth.

"Yes. And it would've been _apparent_ to you long ago if you weren't so busy _hiding away_ from him all the time," she declared as she stepped up next to him and slapped a gloved hand down onto the table for emphasis, finally causing her husband to actually turn his head and look up at her.

"...Whatever do you mean?" he asked, the gaze in his sharp, reptilian eyes carefully neutral.

"Don't try to play ignorant, Kuruto...! Ever since the boy was transferred into our care here at U.A., you've spent nearly all your free time cooped up inside your lab, interacting with Midoriya-kun only when necessary despite him currently _living_ under our supervision in this very building," she declared, spreading her arms outwards to indicate the campus' Science Lab building that they were currently in. "And whenever you're directly overseeing his studies or training, you're making it quite clear that you're always keeping him at arms length, refusing to open up to him in the slightest. And frankly, I want a straight answer as to _why_ ," she pressed, pointing a finger at him. "You're clearly concerned about Midoriya-kun — or his medical condition at the very least — so _why_ do you keep pushing the boy himself away like that? This is not _like_ you at all!"

"..."

Looking up at the woman standing over him, the man turned his seat away from the desk and brought up his fingers to massage the ridge between his eyes.

"...I'm just... trying to set some boundaries in an attempt to ensure that the boy doesn't get carried away too much with his aspirations to become a Hero..." he sighed. "Trust me. It's for his own benefit..."

His wife slowly crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "...Explain?"

The man snorted as he rose from his chair and stepped out on the floor, his lab coat and reptilian tail swaying behind him as he paced around a little on the floor while collecting his thoughts.

"...As you know," he finally began as he stopped with his back turned to her, "I was immediately reluctant towards the Principal's request regarding young Midoriya. Not to _treat_ the boy, mind you, but the _rest_ of it. This fourteen-year-old child has _miraculously_ attained a Quirk after living his entire life without one, and they want us to now help him get ready to apply for U.A.'s Hero Course with just a _few_ measly months worth of training and therapy? That's not only reckless, it's completely irresponsible!" he declared, gesturing with a swipe of his arm as he whirled around to face her.

"..."

"Even overlooking the obvious problems, there's also how strong his particular Quirk is to consider... Unlike with other children whose abilities are slowly developing over time after they've first manifested, _his_ are maturing at a greatly accelerated pace. ..It is as if the Quirk itself is rushing to catch up with the rest of his body's development," he theorized, gesturing animatedly with his hands as he spoke. "And that's not even getting _into_ his psychic perception ability!" he exclaimed as he once more started pacing the floor. "While in theory it would serve to provide young Midoriya with an unmatched spatial awareness in the field, it has manifested so powerfully straight from the onset that its effects are outright _debilitating_ for the boy — so much that he requires constant supervision and electronic monitoring when outside the laboratory in case he breaks down again from suffering a too powerful sensory overload."

Acknowledging his concerns, Prof. Salamander stepped forward to respond.

"That's exactly why we'll be here at hand to guide Midoriya-kun and ensure that his control over his new abilities keep growing accordingly, at least till the development of his Quirk starts leveling out," the female professor responded passionately. "As for his spider-sense, we've been keeping a careful eye on his brain-levels all this time to monitor just how it acts up in different situations, which is then taken into account when we assign the boy his dosages," she explained before clenching her hands in front of her. "We are SO close to finding a level that keeps him stable, yet still capable of utilizing his spider-sense, even under situations of great stress. The readings from the adrenaline-tests we've been performing to help acclimate himself to his other abilities _confirms_ this."

"But that is a temporary measure that will constantly need to be adjusted as both his spider-sense and his other abilities continue growing," he responded as he turned towards her once more. "And even with the medicine's help, it might take YEARS before he's capable of properly controlling it. Despite this, you're _still_ willing to encourage him to apply for the Hero course as soon as the next semester?" he demanded incredulously.

"Kuruto," his wife's voice took on a beseeching tone. "If you'd gotten to know the boy properly, you would've realized that Midoriya-kun longs to become a Hero almost _desperately_. So much that I wouldn't be surprised if he had attempted to try the U.A. entrance exam even _without_ a Quirk, as mad as that seems," she mused, shaking her head at the absurdity of it. "And now that he finally has the proper opportunity, you're going to deny him that?"

"If the stability of his condition can't be assured, then _yes!_ " he replied back fiercely before composing himself and walking over to place his hands gently upon her shoulders. "Look... I have no plans of _sabotaging_ the boy, but we can't allow ourselves to be swayed so much by _sentiment_ that we ignore the facts before us," he explained calmly, briefly resting his forehead against her own before he pulled away and began heading back towards his desk. "Having waited this long to get a Quirk, then the boy should be able to wait another year or two until we're certain that he's learned to properly _control_ it before allowing him to officially apply for this school. And if social norms are too much of a concern for him to wait that long, then I understand he's already fully welcome in the _non_ -Hero courses where he won't have to rely on his Quirk or risk his health."

"..." Prof. Salamander remained silent as she watched him sit down in front of the computer once more.

"...If the boy comes to hate me for this, then so be it. I am fully prepared to shoulder that burden," he said calmly before turning to look back at her over his shoulder, the gaze in his reptilian eye firm. "Nevertheless, I will _not_ let him rush into this until I'm assured he's actually ready!"

 ***End flashback***

* * *

"My husband... Kuruto..." the professor began, thoughtfully picking her words. "Although he's a very kind man, he can also be very... _reserved_ at times. Some times by habit... And some times by _choice_."

"You mean... Did I... _do_ something...?" Izuku asked worriedly.

"No, not directly, per say. It's just sometimes he feels it necessary to maintain an emotional distance from his work in order to not risk letting any personal bias interfere with its progress. And I'm sad to say that your case is one such occurrence," she explained. "It's not that he has anything _against_ you. It's just his awkward way to try to do _right_ by you."

'Making sure he's helping you in the ways he's concluded you _need_ rather than in the ways you yourself might necessarily _prefer_ ,' she silently added.

Izuku blinked as he digested her words before his gaze fell upon the table. "Then... Isn't there anything I can do?"

The feeling of a large, gloved hand landing gently on top of his own caused him to look up to see the woman across the table give him a reassuring smile.

"For now, just keep doing your best with your training and schoolwork while also keeping in mind not to push yourself recklessly," the professor told him. "As long as you make sure to faithfully follow our instructions while paying proper attention to your health, then I'm certain you will be able to win my husband over eventually, the same way you did Recovery Girl, the Principal, and even the top-Hero _All Might_."

As well as _herself_ , she quietly thought.

"I know it's only a question of time, so hang in there, okay?"

"...Y-Yes, I understand!" he nodded, his spirits visibly lifting as he held up and pumped his fists before him. "I'll... I'll do my best!"

The female professor nodded towards him with a close-eyed smile.

End of chapter 10.

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

Whoa. I'd thought this scene would just end up taking 4-5 pages or something, proving once again that I'm absolutely _worthless_ at anticipating the page-length of the material I'll be writing. As the All Might scene I've been mentioning for the past two chapters immediately follows this one, we should finally see it at the very _beginning_ of the next installment. That is, unless something unforeseen pops up.

...Again.

Anyway, this chapter took a lot of work so I hope it came out semi-coherent, because _'I'_ certainly don't feel that way right now. I might look closer over it later, but right now I'm just... gonna lie down somewhere...

 **Next time:** All Might (finally) has his meeting with Detective Tsukauchi. And as Izuku's days at U.A. settle into a routine, a mysterious figure prepares themselves to infiltrate the school. But for what purpose?


	11. Reptiles on Campus, part 4

**MY HERO ACADEMIA AU - The Spectacular Spider-Deku**

Chapter 11: Reptiles on Campus, part 4.

* * *

Elsewhere that day at a local police station, the door to a private office was pushed open so fast and vigorously that it was almost torn clean off its hinges in the process.

" _ **I HAVE ARRIVED!**_ " All Might declared as he stood dramatically in the doorway, the door's window-blinds rattling in place from the sudden movement.

"Ah, All Might. How good to see you. Please come in."

The person seated inside the room who had responded so nonchalantly despite the Hero's grandiose entrance was police detective Tsukauchi Naomasa, a well-groomed yet normal (if not ' _plain_ -looking') man with short black hair, squarish features, and a mellow and friendly-looking expression.

" _ **Ha-Haa**_ **.** **Don't mind if I do, old friend!** " All Might replied as he closed the door behind him and confidently strode over to take a seat in front of the man's desk. " **Now, about the things you wished to discuss with me-** "

"Ah, wait. Before that..." the man calmly told him as he finished putting aside his paperwork and rose to his feet.

After walking over and locking the door to his office — as well as making sure the blinds on both the door as well as the windows were properly adjusted and closed — the detective turned back to the seated Hero with a relaxed smile.

"We should be good now, so feel free to 'unflex' while you're here, Toshinori."

The muscular and constantly-grinning Hero stared back silently for a couple of seconds before smoke erupted from and clouded his form, revealing the gaunt and skeleton-looking state the Top Hero was now left in whenever he powered down.

"Haah... Thank you, Tsukauchi-kun," Yagi Toshinori sighed lethargically, adjusting his now-oversized uniform while the other man returned to his desk. "With how little time I can remain active as 'All Might' these days, every little break I can spare helps."

"Don't think about it, my friend. As you know, your secret's safe with me," the detective replied as he sat back down across from him. "What's important is for you to conserve your strength for when it's actually _needed_ , after all."

Nodding at his words, Toshinori coughed lightly into his fist a few times before looking up to face the man proper. "Well then... You said the police had made some new findings that you wanted to discuss with me?"

"Why, yes," the man nodded matter-of-factly. "While it's now been a couple of months since it took place, I'm certain even a busy Hero such as yourself still remember the 'Quirk Berserker incident'."

"But of course. That was what the media dubbed the gas-attack at that mall I did a public appearance in a while back," Toshinori nodded with a serious expression on his face. "While it's quite a tacky naming-sense, 'Quirk Berserker' is indeed an effective and descriptive moniker for that heinous gas that was used..."

"That's putting it mildly," Tsukauchi responded as he leafed through some papers on his desk. "Once inhaled, it supercharges one's Quirk-factor to the point of going out of control while simultaneously making the victim loose their senses to uncontrollable aggression and paranoia; ultimately causing them to go on a violent and destructive rampage with their abilities. ...That is, as long asthey _possess_ a Quirk."

"Though those who weren't naturally _born_ with theirs might have a semblance of resistance to it, it seems... To a certain degree, at the very least..." Toshinori admitted quietly under his breath, prompting the man across the table to nod at him in understanding.

"Indeed... Though even after all this time, we have yet to untangle all the ins and outs of this mysterious gas — aside from the fact that it appears to be man-made, and not the product of someone's Quirk."

"Yes. I've had the opportunity to discuss the matter a few times with one of the Hero community's leading Toxicology experts-"

"I assume you're referring to Hitokage Maruza, A.K.A. _'Professor Fire Salamander'_?" Tsukauchi interjected.

"Correct," Toshinori nodded. "She and her husband, Professor Lizard, are still working on examining samples of the gas in their private labs at U.A., and even esteemed scientists such as themselves are to this day still coming up short on determining just how exactly it is able to affect Quirk-wielders they way it does."

"I see..." the detective said, leaning back in his seat while dragging a palm across his forehead. "That's honestly quite disconcerting..."

"Even in this day and age, there are still many mysterious surrounding just how Quirks work after all," the Hero said with a light shake of his head before looking back up. "She confided in me this, however...: In her own words, the person who designed this gas, whomever they may be, has to be an amazing genius, or _completely_ insane...! Or perhaps _both_."

"...Hmph. Well, I believe she might be quite right," Tsukauchi frowned. "As you know, the case has been consider a black mark to the authorities, as even after all this time, neither the police force nor the Hero community have managed to uncover who was behind the attack in the first place. There's been no declaration or statement of intent from the guilty party — which is unusual following this sort of Villain attack — leaving us no way to track them down or even _hint_ at their identity, save a few dead-end leads."

"Indeed... But I assume this conversation of ours means that the situation has _changed_ , huh, Tsukauchi-kun?"

"You assume correctly, All Might," the detective admitted as he turned in his seat to fish out a folder from his desk drawer. "One such dead-end lead has finally resurfaced, you see."

Straightening up in his seat, the Hero waited patiently as the other man opened the folder upon his desk and pulled out a photograph.

"Do you remember this man, Fukuyama Yuuta?" Detective Tsukauchi began as he held it up before him, causing Toshinori to crane his neck forward. "He was the owner of a small moving service that had been declared missing by his family just a few days before the attack took place."

"Ah, yes... He was deemed a 'person of interest' in the 'Quirk Berserker' case due to the nature of his Quirk, correct?"

"Right," the detective nodded. "Fukuyama-san's Quirk allowed him to shrink non-living objects for a temporary period of time. Having attained a license to use it for his work, he utilized it for quick and easy transport of his clients' property when moving things back and forth from his truck. However, despite possessing no real criminal record, the resemblance between the effects of his Quirk and how those gas canisters suddenly appeared all over the mall during the attack made it a high possibility that he was somehow connected to this case."

Toshinori eyebrows furrowed upon his forehead. "You keep talking about the man in the _past_ tense. Does that mean..."

"Yes, I'm afraid so," the detective said solemnly as he fished out another picture of the folder. "We've located what we've identified to be Fukuyama-san's corpse."

Looking at picture now lying before him on the desk, Toshinori grimaced slightly. The staggering amount of death and horror he'd experienced in his career as a Pro Hero may have granted him a metaphorical iron stomach when it came to such matters, but he still didn't exactly care for them.

"Goodness, the _state_ of the man," he breathed, referring to the mangled and decomposed sight. "Where did you find him?"

"He was one of nearly a _dozen_ corpses recently discovered at a local landfill, having been buried deep beneath tons and tons of trash for several months already," the detective stated as he placed similar photos out across his desk. "While we have yet to identify all of the bodies we found after combing the place, we believe them to be related to the incident as well due to traces of the Quirk Berserker gas detected in their remains. Many of them show signs of having fought one another to the death, and we believe a few of them even died from critical overuse of their own Quirks, which can, depending on the nature of certain Quirks, prove fatal."

The pupils of Toshinori's sunken-in eyes glowed with an electric blue light.

"...They were the Villain's _test-subjects_. _Guinea pigs...!_ " he declared with disgust.

"Yes, we believe that to be the case as well," the detective agreed with a nod before pointing back to the first photo. "However, while Fukuyama-san test-results matches the signs of extreme Quirk-fatigue, there were no traces of the Quirk Berserker gas in his systems. He instead tested positive for more common Quirk-enhancing drugs, as well as several blunt force trauma injuries across his body that were received before death. All signs point towards that he was an unwilling pawn in the Villain's scheme; targeted simply for the sake of his Quirk and then coerced into aiding them before being subsequently disposed off."

Toshinori nodded. That made sense.

"Cause of death?"

"He appears to have been stabbed in the back and pierced clean through by a large and cylindrical metal object, going by the minute shavings found inside the wound. The damage doesn't seem to match up with any conventional weapons we know of, so we're currently looking into if a metal-related Quirk could be involved or not."

"If that's the case, we might even get a lead to the culprit's identity by referencing it to the public Quirk registry."

"Yes, but truth be told, I doubt that it's going to be that easy," the detective sighed as he collected the pictures and placed them back in his folder. "Whoever this Villain is, they've gone to great lengths to cover their tracks so far. Despite going as far as hacking the mall's security system so that they could obscure whoever had planted the shrunken gas-canisters throughout the main-hall in the first place — as well as watch their own sick handiwork unfold in real-time — every attempt to trace the signal back to its source proved utterly futile."

Toshinori shuddered a little as he was reminded that the Villain responsible must've had a front row seat when the mall descended into chaos, as well as to his own actions as All Might to counter it. Thanks to the onslaught of active Quirks being thrown around having compromised several of the nearby security cameras, as well as the thick gas obscuring him from the more distant ones, the Hero had avoided by a hair to have his 'powering-down' caught on tape, something that was confirmed when his friends in the authorities had gone in to maintain damage-control.

Once they'd realized the situation, the fact that a Villain had nearly received the Top Hero's greatest weakness on a platter had caused a shiver to run down most of their spines.

"As dreadful as this all is," Toshinori summarized, "hopefully ID'ing these victims might give us _something_ regarding the Villain's motif and identity so we can at least prevent them from creating any more victims."

"Yes, I agree," the Detective nodded. "But truth be told, among the bodies that have so far been identified, there was _another_ disturbing discovery that I felt I should alert you of."

Rummaging through the folder, he then pulled out and placed yet another photograph onto the desk, this one attached with a file about a young man wearing hospital scrubs.

"This person has been ID'ed as a medical assistant working at the local hospital who was reported missing not too long ago by his coworkers. However, the timeframes don't add up. You see, according to our examinations of his body, the man must have died _months_ ago, long before he even went missing in the first place."

"What? Are you absolutely certain there hasn't been some sort of mistake?"

"Positive. We've even called in several forensic specialists with Quirks that allows them to roughly verify our findings, and they've all backed up our initial results. And yet, both witness accounts and surveillance tapes confirm the man's continued presence at the hospital up until just a few weeks ago."

"But doesn't make sense," Toshinori said as he peered closer at the file and photo. "How does someone continue to show up for work like normal for several months after their own murder?"

"At this point, your guess is as good as mine. However, I felt I should warn you of this specifically, because during this timeframe, the man was assigned with assisting the doctors overseeing the boy who helped you during the Quirk Berserker incident while he was kept under observation at the hospital. The timing of his disappearance coincides with the boy's transfer into U.A.'s care as well."

Toshinori's eyes widened in shock as he looked back up at his friend.

"You think the Villain might be targeting young Midoriya?"

Detective Tsukauchi's mouth was a flat line.

"Considering the overall role the boy played in this whole case, I think we should assume that they have their _eye_ on him at the very least. And if this Villain is _anything_ like the deranged scientist the complexity of the Quirk Berserker gas and our findings seem to suggest," he said, tapping the folder on the desk containing the photographs, "then I wouldn't be surprised if they're interested in finding out if and how their gas played a part in Midoriya-kun's subsequent mutation as well."

* * *

The meeting concluded with the decision that they would inform the U.A. principal of both these findings and their concerns, allowing the small man-animal to take any appropriate security measures as he saw fit, both for Midoriya's sake as well as that of the school's students.

Speaking of which, as Toshinori marched out of the police station in the towering guise of 'All Might' once more — giving a small wave or nod to the smiling or awed on-lookers along the way — the Top Hero decided to pull out his cell phone to give the boy in question a quick text message.

' **Hello, Midoriya, my boy. How are you doing?** ' he started typing as he walked. ' **I hear from Principal Nedzu that both your studies and training seem to be coming along well. Or rather, that they are doing so** _ **now**_ **at least, as I've been told that there were a few initial hiccups.**

' **I apologize that I haven't managed to personally visit lately. I'll try to rectify that in the near future.**

' _ **\- A.M.**_ '

Re-reading his message and finding it satisfactory, the large man pushed 'Send' as he exited the building and then made to pocket the phone away as he started descending the stairs in front of the entrance. However, before he even managed to let go of the device, the cell phone buzzed in his hand, prompting him to pull it up once more.

" _ **HOLY MOLEY, THAT WAS QUICK!**_ " the Hero spat out in amazement at the discovery that he'd already received a proper response from the boy. " _ **ALSO, IT'S DAMN LONG TO BOOT!**_ "

'A-A-A-All Might! T-Thank you for your text. It's been a little while,' it read, and the Hero was once again dumbfounded by the fact that the boy's nervous stutter even transferred into his text-writing. 'I saw the video about your takedown of the Villain 'Big Wheel' who was rampaging through the streets the other day in that big... wheel-contraption of his. It was pretty awesome! T-The takedown, I mean, n-not the Villain.

'A-As for me, I'm doing pretty well these days. I struggled with some reoccurring problems with my spider-sense for a while, but after M-Mr. and Mrs. Professors Hitokage adjusted my medicine to my current prescription I've been doing much better. U-Um, yeah, I take it to mean you've heard about it already, but I got yelled at a bit by the Professors and Dr. Shuuzenji (who got really, really mad) for trying to keep quiet about some of the headaches my Quirk was still causing me, as well as deviating a bit from the training-plan they'd made by working a-a little too hard in my spare time without getting proper rest and stuff.

'I-I'm really, really sorry and all, and I didn't mean to cause a commotion, but, um, when I think about the upcoming entrance exam that are just a few months away, I just couldn't help but feel that I needed to give it everything I have and more if I want to be able to pass. I-I want to become a proper Hero as soon as possible so that I can live up to your expectations as well as repay you all for e-everything you've done for me.'

...

'A-A-Also, t-there is absolutely no need for you to apologize,' the message updated. 'You're the Number One Hero after all, so of course I perfectly understand how busy you must be every day with your work and s-such. ...H-However, if you should find the time to visit, w-w-would you perhaps, just maybe, like to have d-dinner with us one day? I-I'm aware that it, um, might be much to ask considering how little _TIME_ you have available these days, so there would probably need to be some planning involved, considering my Mom and such, but maybe you could, I d-dunno, at least _think_ about it? I-I also know you, _u-um_ , d-don't have much of an _a-appetite_ and all, but I s-still thought it might be a little nice, and I'm sure the p-professors would like to join us as well (they're actually having dinner with us today, you see) a-a-and, and I think I'm rambling now so I'm just gonna, um... yeah.

'- Izuku.'

Appreciating the boy's _attempt_ to be subtle regarding the time limit of his 'muscle-form', as well as his stomach-injury, All Might snorted good naturedly as he set out to reply to this monster of a text-message.

' **I should've expected that you'd kept yourself up-to-date with my recent endeavors, including my 'fight' from the other day. It's perhaps sad to admit, but that guy doesn't even rank in my top-ten of the weirder Villains I've faced throughout my career,** ' the Hero wrote with a snort. **'But yes, I have indeed been informed about how you'd been pushing yourself and even gone as far as pulling all-nighters, training secretly on your own until you collapsed during one of your classes from overworking yourself. That's no good, my boy! I'm certain you've already been told this by your teachers, but you need to stick with the training-plan they've developed for you as they set it up that way for a reason, and that** _ **includes**_ **the resting-portions.**

' **I can sympathize with your anxiety about making enough progress in time for the entrance exam and all, but your teachers are also your** _ **doctors**_ **who've designed a training-plan for you while specifically keeping your health and limits in mind, so you need to understand that overdoing things will only end up having the opposite effect and hurt your chances instead! While your sentiment is commendable, for now you should focus most upon your own needs, you know, as well as try not to worry your mother too much.**

' **As for your generous invitation, I'm flattered, my boy, but I...** ' All Might paused in his typing and stared blankly ahead in thought for a moment before he went back and deleted part of the text to instead write ' **I'll... I'll think about it.**

' _ **\- A.M.**_ '

Giving a weary, but good-humored sigh as he looked at his phone, the Hero pushed 'Send' once more.

* * *

"Take care now, sweetie," Midoriya Inko said as she tightly hugged her son goodbye for the evening, while her son took care not to hug her too hard back as not to risk hurting her with his now enhanced and still-growing strength.

Seriously, he'd already lost track of how many door handles and taps he'd accidentally ruined ever since waking up at the hospital.

"Mom, t-take it easy," Izuku lightly pleaded, all too aware of the female professor who stood waiting in the doorway, smiling at their display. "We'll be seeing each other tomorrow evening, right? You don't have be like this _every_ night."

As she reluctantly released him from her embrace, she raised a hand to gently stroke his cheek.

"Oh, I know, honey. It's just..." she sniffed with a sad, but loving smile. "Even though I _know_ you're now awake from your coma and doing well... it still feels so terribly lonely to have to return to an empty house every night, that's all."

"M-Mom..." Izuku muttered, feeling his heart twinge a little for what his mother must've been going through every day for these past few months.

Their near teary-eyed standoff was brought to a halt as a large, but gentle hand fell upon Inko's shoulder.

"Do not worry, Midoriya-san," Prof. Salamander said with an empathic smile as she stood beside the smaller woman. "If everything goes well, then you and your son should soon be able to live together like a proper family again."

"...Y-Yes," Inko blinked up at her over her shoulder before she whirled around and seized the large, gloved hand into both of her own. "B-But until then, Hitokage-san, please continue to watch over my son the way you have, a-alright?"

Though she was caught a bit off balance by the smaller woman's sudden and unhesitant grip around her hand, the dumbfounded salamander-woman eventually managed to reply to the earnest mother's pleading gaze with a reassuring smile.

"But of course, Midoirya-san," she said while carefully placing her free hand atop of Inko's own. "You have my word."

Standing at the sidelines, this time it was Izuku who smiled at the other two's interactions.

After yet another goodbye hug from his mother and a reassurance from the professor that, like always, she and her husband would be right downstairs if he needed them, the two women finally proceeded to leave his room and head down the hallway.

"It was a shame your husband couldn't stay any longer after dinner," Inko commented as they went.

"Ah, yes... I'm afraid my husband is just very busy these days..."

"Oh, goodness. I hope looking after my son doesn't interfere too much with his work then."

"Don't worry about it, Midoriya-san..." Professor Salamander reassured her. "You know, since it's gotten dark out, would you like me to personally escort you to the school gates?"

"M-My, yes, thank you. It's a bit of a walk across campus, after all, so that would be lovely."

With their voices fading into the distance as the two women disappeared down a stairway, a smiling Izuku finally closed the door proper and stepped back into his makeshift dormitory.

While the Hitokages were utilizing proper guestrooms inside the School Laboratory Building while they stayed with him on campus, _his_ living quarters was more of a large, repurposed break-room that had already come with a small kitchen area and a TV-nook with a couch and table, as well as a door leading to a bathroom with a shower.

Walking past the kitchen bench where cleaned pots and pans were currently drying off by the sink, Izuku made his way to the coach where he proceeded to sit down and un-mute the small TV-set in front of him before resuming what he'd been doing most of that evening. While the professor and his mother had kept each other company with friendly chatter after dinner (which to Izuku's embarrassment had been mostly about _him_ ), he himself had focused on a new little training-exercise that the professors had devised for him after the mishap during this morning's training-session, namely to train the spinnerets in his wrists by pulling out and wind up the threads with his other hand like a ball of yarn while constantly trying to produce thicker and more sturdier webs.

After producing a certain amount, he held up the new web-ball and spent a few seconds studying the quality of the threads that composed it before placing it down on the couch table where several others from earlier that evening already sat, next to a pair of dumbbells, and picked up his cell phone instead.

Geeking out a little to himself over the text-exchange he'd shared with All Might earlier that day, his giddy smile slowly slid off his face as he went over a certain portion of the discussion, namely the whole debacle over his deviation from his teachers' training-plan, and just why he did so.

While it was true that he was anxious about making enough progress in time for the exams, he'd refrained from mentioning how one of the catalysts was how the husband of the Hitokage-couple seemed dismissive, if not directly _against_ the notion of him applying for the next semester's entrance exam in the first place, which had caused Izuku to push himself harder than he should have in a bid to convince the lizard-man otherwise.

While the boy had now been properly reassured that the professor's cold attitude towards him wasn't out of anything like _contempt_ for him and his dream to become a Hero (something he'd sadly experienced far too much of throughout his life), but rather out of a reserved concern for his safety and _health_ , Izuku realized he didn't feel quite as put-out or high-strung in the man's company anymore.

However, the desire to prove his worth and be acknowledged by the man had, if anything, grown even _more_ at this revelation.

Getting back to his feet, Izuku made his way to the back of the break room where they had provided him with a bed and a work desk for his stay and pulled out a familiar scorched notebook from where his schoolbooks stood lined up against the wall.

Picking up a mechanical pencil as well, he made a small, deft leap trough the air and positioned himself sitting on his haunches partway up a wall, his back flat against it while his feet underneath him kept him anchored on the vertical surface.

As he'd long since reached the point where he'd been given permission to freely train this aspect of his Quirk (as long as it was in moderation and within safe environments), he was making an unconscious habit of clinging against various surfaces as he either went over his schoolwork or simply idled about in his room that was already starting to become second-nature.

Resting the notebook against his knees before him, he smiled as he leafed though the numerous Hero-autographs before reaching the doodles and drawings he'd since added to the later pages.

One of these was yet another drawing of All Might, which he had gotten quite adept at portraying over all these years. However, despite how much he had wanted to write down the new info he had learnt about his favorite Hero in these pages, if only to sort out and catalogue his own thoughts about them in the process, he was fully aware how phenomenally risky it was to commit the Top Hero's secrets down onto paper — _anywhere_ — and therefore had wisely abstained from doing so.

Turning the pages further, he skipped over the multiple pages he'd dedicated to analyzing the Quirk-Spider and his _own_ Quirk until he instead came upon a few rougher sketches portraying his two new teachers, as well as notes he'd made regarding both the similarities and the differences between their mutant-type aspects and abilities.

Clicking on his mechanical pencil, he went ahead and updated the title of these pages from 'Professors Mr. & Mrs. Hitokage' into instead utilizing their Hero-names, _'Professor Lizard'_ and _'Professor (Fire) Salamander'_ , as the latter had brooked no argument during dinner over how he should be addressing the pair from now on (despite whatever annoyed protests her husband might've made at the time).

Once the changes had been completed, Izuku proceeded to turn the page over and started to leisurely expand upon his notes about them as he remained perched up on the wall, the TV-set buzzing lowly in the background.

* * *

As Izuku's days at U.A. continued, we cut one morning to a small apartment in the city instead where a man dressed as a campus security guard stood in front of a wardrobe mirror, seemingly getting ready for the day.

As his cell phone started ringing, the man finished adjusting his tie before fishing the device out of his pocket.

"Yes, hello?"

 _"Hey, I'm right outside waiting with the car,_ " the person on the phone informed him, sounding somewhat impatient. _"Hurry up and get down here already, so we can get going to U.A. before the morning rush hits."_

"My apologies, Senpai. I overslept a little," the man smiled as he calmly replied. "I'll be right down in just a moment."

 _"You'd better be, or we might end up late for our shift because of you."_

With that the two ended their conversation, leaving the man in the apartment to tuck away his phone and don his jacket.

However, before leaving, he leaned into the open wardrobe where the body of a perfectly _identical_ man sat hunched over at the bottom of the closet, unconscious. ...or perhaps worse.

Helping himself to the ID-badge that was clipped onto the motionless man's shirt, the guard slid the wardrobe door closed and made his way out of the apartment while fastening the badge onto himself.

Locking the apartment door behind him, he gave his tie one last adjustment just for good measure.

"Now then," he smirked. "Time to get to work."

End of chapter 11.

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

A lot of exposition was covered this time around, which honestly was harder than I expected to write, mostly on deciding what should remain as just text and what should be constructed into character-dialogue. Hopefully I managed to make it flow enough to make it easy to absorb.

The Villain "Big Wheel", mentioned by All Might, is a throwaway-reference to one of Spider-man's... _less_ memorable villains. Believe me, there are quite a few of them.

Might be worth mentioning right from the get-go that no, the person at the end is _NOT_ Toga Himiko, though their Quirks _are_ pretty similar perhaps. If you want a clue for this impostor's identity, the hint is in the title of these last few chapters.

Next time, things end up going very, very wrong.


End file.
